You didn't see that {Julia}

[Justin Marshall]

((OOC: There isn't a general "grounds" board, so I just put this in the courtyard...hope it makes sense))

He’d been scheduled for an evening shift again. In the middle of the summer, this didn’t necessarily mean it was dark the whole time. The sun didn’t fully set until around nine o’clock. For Justin, it just meant a few extra hours of boredom until people felt the grounds were shadowed enough for whatever shenanigans they’d decide to act out. Students especially liked to sneak around. Usually nothing truly sinister occurred, but Justin’s first thoughts upon hearing a strange noise or shadow in the bushes always screamed “government spy!” or the like.

But for now, with about a half hour left until twilight, Justin was stuck at front gate duty, making sure students stayed in after curfew and nosy trespassers stayed out. His coworkers had assured him with so many teenagers around, curfew violations would be the most common incident. Justin didn’t expect much action.

Tonight proved to be a lazy evening, as the grounds didn’t have much traffic. Justin paced, wishing for one of the other assignments that required walking around the grounds, at least. Idly, he stared at the fence. How easy was it to climb over? Justin glanced at his surroundings and still saw no one around. Perfect.

He made a jump, reaching for the fence’s top edge, and missed it by an inch. He tried again and found himself hanging a few feet off the ground. The only trouble was, there were no good footholds in order to go the rest of the way, and the handhold was too awkward to provide good leverage. He let himself drop again and stepped back, this time taking a running leap and pushing off with his feet. Somehow, he ended up on top, supported by his arms, with one leg swung over to the other side. Hah! He’d conquered the fence, something he’d never got around to trying as a student. Not that it was an impossible feat or anything; many students’ powers could easily bypass it. The barrier was probably meant more as a deterrent for curious non-powered townsfolk.

At the top, though, he could see a little further across the grounds, and in the fading light he spotted someone coming. Without hesitation Justin jumped back onto Hammel property and scooted over to his correct position. He quickly attempted to dust off his black uniform and assumed his usual frowning expression, meant to show everyone that he meant business and that he was NOT pretty.

[Julia Clark]

Julia had stopped by Hammel hoping to catch Addie before the older woman left to go home for the day. She wanted to ask if the landscaper wouldn’t mind watching Watson the following day. It was supposed to be wonderful outside and she hated thinking of him just laying around in the house while she was at work. Unfortunate, her timing was bad and she had missed the woman by just a few minutes. She supposed she should have called first, but she always preferred to speak face-to-face than over the phone.

She had come directly from work, so her usual furry companion was not by her side as she walked through the grounds, thinking maybe she’d stop by Addie’s on the way home.

Those plans were forgotten for a moment when she noticed someone climbing the fence. At first she thought it was a student and started to call out, but the figure looked to big, unless maybe it was one of the older students. Curious, she started walking over to the fence. If she had known for sure who the other person was, she might have tried to sneak up on them, but with the distance and fading light she couldn’t be sure “Hey,” she called out as she approached.

“Justin?” she asked, when she was close enough that she could recognize the other man. “Is that you?” It certainly looked like him, but she couldn’t figure out why her old classmate would be climbing the fence around at Hammel.

[Justin Marshall]

He’d been seen. Some security guard he was. He paused on his way back to his post and squinted at the approaching figure when he heard his name. Most people still didn’t know him yet.

His usually serious face broke into a grin when he recognized her. ”Julia? I didn’t know you were still in Pilot Ridge.” Otherwise he would have at least let her know he was coming. He jogged away from the wall to meet her but hesitated as he came within conversational distance, unsure if he was about to be hugged or something. He didn’t mind, but he remembered with Julia he might never know when he was about to be tackled.

”So what are you still doing here?” He continued, wondering if she’d left and come back like him or had found a more permanent place here. He noticed her face, and her clothes, and her general demeanor. She looked the same as he remembered, but a little older. In a good way. Everyone still looks good when they’re in their mid-twenties. ”And why are you hanging around Hammel so late?”

Justin glanced around the area briefly, and still saw no one else around. ”I’m supposed to be watching the gate,” he said, tilting his head in its direction. ”Come over there with me so I look like I’m still working.” He started to walk, looking over his shoulder and adding, ”It’s really good to see you.” And he meant it. He had been starting to wonder if he knew anyone his age in town anymore.

[Julia Clark]

Julia had held back running towards the figure until she was sure who it was, But as soon as Justin spoke her name, she took of towards him to give him a hug. “Justin!” she said once her arms were wrapped around her old friend. “I came back a few years a…back. But what about you?“ She stepped back a little, finally releasing him. She reached out to ruffle his hair with one of her hands. But really who could blame her for being affectionate? She hadn’t seen Justin since graduation and it wasn’t every day that she ran into an old classmate unexpectedly. Now that she had a little distance between herself and him, she could get a good look at his face. He hadn’t seemed to change all that much, but then again it hadn’t been that long since Hammel. It wasn’t like he was going to sprout wrinkles and grey hair anytime soon.

“Got a job in town…and a roommate…and a dog…well the dog and the roommate kinda came together,” she said, trying hard to pace her speech. She tended to get a little more tongue tied then usual when she was excited. “And I could ask you the same thing,” she added, laughing as she pointed towards the fence.

“Yeah, sure,” she said, walking along beside him. “It’s good to see you too,” she said, unable to keep herself from reaching out to hug him again. “So why’d ya come back to Hammel? Not that I mind, of course.” Personally, Julia had always felt like this town was home and she couldn’t understand how so many of her classmates never returned.

[Justin Marshall]

As predicted, he was soon in an embrace. He hugged back, noticing that she felt smaller than her remembered. More likely, he was just a little bit bigger instead. ”I went back home to San Diego, and I was a cop. And now I’m not.” he replied. He really should have thought to contact old friends and tell them he was coming back, but with his withdrawn personality and so many years he just assumed no one would notice. So far he found himself proven wrong almost twice a week.

”Really, you got a dog? I did too. They should meet sometime,” Justin grinned, always more enthusiastic about meeting dogs than meeting people. She messed at his hair affectionately, and he tried to flatten it out again with one hand. ”How’s the roommate? And where do you work?” Justin had had his fill of roommates back at Hammel, but could see why it might be a wise financial decision. Also, even if there was a constant pile of dirty dishes or fights over the television, he supposed it must feel a little less lonely.

Now that they were closer to the post, he found himself again in Julia’s arms. He’d missed having people around who liked him this much. ”The police weren’t really for me. It strained my ability too much. San Diego is a big city with a lot of bad people. Hammel is…not perfect, but it’s more familiar. And how could I get bored when there’s so many strange powers around?” Truthfully, Pilot Ridge was the only place he felt he belonged, even though he was still a bit of a loner. ”You said you came back. What happened?” He leaned against the gate support casually. He still didn’t see anyone else around, and hoped it would stay that way so he could catch up with his old friend.

[Julia Clark]

“We’ll I’m glad you came back,” Julia said, grinning as she did so that even someone without Justin’s ability would have known she wasn’t lying. Since Julia had never really had a home or a family, Hammel had always been the place she considered to be home base. It was the reason she had come back to Pilot Ridge in the first place. And if Hammel was home, then her classmates were her family.

“Yeah, my roommate got him for me. Sort of a house-coming…I mean house-warming gift,” she explained. “And Watson will love that.” Whether it was from spending time with Julia, or just because it was part of his personality, Watson was just as affection and eager to spend time with others as his owner.

“I work at the consignment shop in town. It’s not much, but I like it,” she continued. “And the roommate’s great. I love the old guy,” She laughed a little. Although in the grand scheme of life, her roommate wasn’t ancient, she teased him all the time.

“I’m sorry things didn’t work out in San Diego,” Julia said, squeezing her friend’s shoulder. She could understand how working as a cop would put a strain on Justin. She hoped things would be better for him here. “And I know what you mean about Hammel...” She paused looking at the buildings. “Hammel’s like home.” Turning back to Justin, she smiled.

“Oh I…” she said, looking for the words. “College wasn’t really my cup of…tea so I dropped out. I came back here because…well I guess because it’s what I know, ya know?” She looked at Justin, hoping he would understand. She knew a college dropout working at a thrift store wasn’t exactly the story of the year, but she wasn’t ashamed of her decisions. She knew what was right for her life, even if other’s sometimes thought she was wasting it.

[Justin Marshall]

She wasn’t lying about being happy to see him, and Justin was glad at least he could have someone to talk to close by, where he wouldn’t have to lie about his real feelings or his power. That was another wonderful thing about Julia: she was always so honest.

”Your roommate is..an old guy?” He laughed. Somehow it wasn’t that surprising. Far from finding it creepy, he assumed Julia would only room with someone decent, no matter their age or gender. If he’d given her a dog, then Justin already approved. ”I can’t say I’ll have too many excuses to visit you at a consignment shop,” he joked, knowing that his wardrobe consisted mostly of jeans and t-shirts. He had no reason to seek cheap fashion, and he liked his appliances shiny and new. ”Unless you sell used weapons? Those are always interesting.”

He nodded at her understanding about San Diego. ”Good old Hammel. I’m only sad there isn’t a real beach.” As much as he disliked Southern California’s company, he loved its weather.

Justin raised his eyebrows. If she was feeling embarrassed about education, he couldn’t really understand. “I’m the last person who would judge you about that,” he said somberly. ”You remember how bad my grades were. I didn’t even try college.” Not that there were any who would accept him in the first place. ”At least you haven’t taken a demotion. Look at me, I was a policeman who won awards for bravery, and now I’m a security guard at a school. Cop to babysitting in a month.” He grinned as he went on, as he didn’t really feel that bad about it. He was just trying to keep the mood light.

[Julia Clark]

Although Julia's honesty could often get her into trouble and sometimes hurt other people's feelings, she stuck by it. Partly because she had a hard enough time getting the messages from her brain to her mouth so that she could form an understandable sentence. But mostly Julia didn't often see the point in lying. Things were the way they were so what was the reason for saying they were any different. Then again, most people weren't as accepting of Julia's respect for the truth.

"Yeah," Julia said, joining in her friend's laughter. "Neither of us have a family so we kinda adopted each other." Her roommate was like her mentor, her father, and her best friend all rolled into one.

"Used weapons? Not likely. Unless you think a snow-dome...snow-globe is a weapon," she said. "We get a fair of amount of knick-knack type stuff, but it's mostly just clothes. You're welcome to stop by, even to say hey. Get's a little slow sometimes." She smiled, hoping he might take her up on his offer. Although Julia was pretty easily entertained by whoever stopped in the shop, it was always a welcome sight so see someone she knew.

"We got a lake though," she offered with a shrug. Sure it wasn't the same as a beach. But beaches were over-rated. Beside you weren't likely to see Julia strolling along the sand in a bikini...at least not comfortably.

Julia couldn't help but hug Justin when he mentioned not judging here. If there was something she hated more than anything it was people passing judgement on others. "It's so good to see you," she said after she had released him. "I'm glad you're a babysitter." Realizing maybe that wasn't the best way to phrase that she tried to back-track a little. "I mean...I don't care what you do. You could be a...a poop-scooper and I'd still hug you." She smiled hoping that would get across her meaning a little better.