Squeak and Sqwak with the animals (Amos)

[Min Hee Wang]

Min-hee was excited this particular day. One might have thought she'd gone mad with the way she was smiling all the way to the training hall. A cup of coffee in one hand, the other pulling an old tv-stand type cart down the hallway, the box on top of it rattling as she did. There was a smaller series of boxes on the lower shelf with labels written in korean. A folder sat on top of the top box, fluttering slightly as she stopped suddenly in front of her assigned training room, opening the door.

She would then push the cart into the room, rattling the boxes once again, though what was more so louder than this was the very sound of the door falling closed behind her and the heals she wore tapping on the floor. It was time to get serious, to get down to business, she had only a a short time to prepare before her student was scheduled to arrive.

Min-hee carefully moved the covered box, placing it on the table in the center of the room, making sure that there was padding on the floor around the edges of the table--just in case. She pushed a chair over to the table leaving the smaller boxes on the cart for now. Though she did pic up the folder that had nearly blown off the box-top and flipped through it.

Her dark hair was pulled back into a small ponytail, leaving strands to fall over one eye, but it would not bother her being there. Her white button up shirt was covered protectively by the vest that matched the slacks she wore beneath. Tieing together her outfit that was meant to be more professional than casual, but still allowed her individuality. "it's almost time. " She stated aloud to herself before sitting down in the only chair within the room. Sipping lightly at her coffee.

Outside of the table, chair, and items she'd carted in the room was empty. She had done this for a reason of course, but that reasoning may or may not be obvious just yet.

[Amos Freeman]

Amos was nervous today.

It wasn't that he disliked training sessions, per se. They usually went very smoothly; he laid down, separated from his body, attached to an animal's body, bought a postcard, and came back. It was really very straightforward. He'd never had any extreme problems with controlling his powers like a few of his peers. He didn't have an offensive power, so he'd never been capable of hurting anyone other than himself.

To be fair, he avoided that if he could help it.

His training schedule had been amended to accommodate Min Hee Wang, a new member of Hammel staff. He hadn't had the opportunity to meet her yet.

He was about to, though.

"Er," he called out awkwardly. His hand was wrapped around the doorknob and was slightly clammy. "Ms. Wang?"

He stepped into the room and the door closed behind him. The woman he assumed was his new trainer was sitting in a chair near the center of the room. There was also a table, some pillows, and a lot of boxes.

Even while seated, Amos could tell that she would be very short if not for the shoes she was wearing. She was young -- not much older than him, to be certain -- and she was dressed in a very modern, sophisticated manner.

"Um, I'm Amos," he supplied dutifully. "I'm here for... our... training session?"

[Min Hee Wang]

Min-hee sipped at her coffee, looking at the clock, waiting anxiously for the student to arrive. With each tick of the clock she found herself sipping her coffee until there was nothing left to be ticked away. She would set the cup aside on the far corner of the table, away from the covered box, for the time being.

She was eager to meet her student, to get to know him and his ability, and mold him to be the perfect idea of a graduate. Which to her was a meta-human who had complete control, used their abilities only for good nature, and that had the knowledge that they were still equal with non-metas regardless of having power. That is what she wanted most of all in her graduating students and noone would slip past her sessions without learning those things. She didn't care how many people she had to hold back until they got that through their thick skulls.

Luckily for her, judging from this student's file, he didn't seem to be the sort she'd have to worry about having a superiority complex in regards to meta-humans. From his file she gathered he would be relatively easy to work with and the thought of this put her at ease. She did not have to be to strict from the start in these cases. So long as he behaved which she had a feeling he would--or she'd make him.

"Ah, Right on time, Mister Freeman." She stated as she closed the folder, setting it near her coffee mug, making sure it remained closed by placing the mug ontop of it. She would not touch it again until he left. She felt it disrespectful to write or log information infront of the student she was training. It was a personal rule and for the most part she rarely broke it. Except on rare cases when she felt her mind slipping in it's memories. Today was not one of those days.

Min stood from her chair, smoothing the fabric of her clothing, then walking over to the student. Offering her hand over in that westernized manner of greeting; a handshake. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Amos. " She replied after he gave his first name. "You may call me Min-hee or Min, if that makes you more comfortable, i've been expecting you. " she stated with a smile.

"How are you feeling this afternoon?" She stated as would be typical of her. If her student was not in good health then they could not concentrate well enough. Or even if they needed to talk about something, she had to be sure to take that into account, else it could alter the results of their session and hinder progress.

[Amos Freeman]

Amos took her hand and gave it a few polite but anemic shakes. His brother had once said that shaking his hand was like shaking a limp noodle; if he was a real man, Joel had teased, he would be able to assert that fact just by shaking hands with someone.

To be honest, the entire idea made him kind of uncomfortable, especially since a lot of people at Hammel had tactile powers.

But he did not say this to Min, as she had instructed him to call her, because he felt that would be rude.

"Um, it's nice to meet you, too," he offered. She seemed nice enough, after all. To an outsider this might seem like a weak compliment, but some of his trainers had been....

Well, it didn't matter now.

"Er," he began, caught a little off guard by such a nice question. "I'm f-fine, thanks."

A few moments of silence passed. His eyes flicked somewhat impulsively to the boxes and then back to the short, kind woman.

"How are you?" He asked, feeling like asking such a thing in return was only polite.

[Min Hee Wang]

Min-hee did take note of his noodle hand shake, but she didn't really fault him for it. Though it did let her know somewhat where he stood on level of confidence. She shook his hand with a firm, confident, handshake. She, however, was not worried of that just yet. She'd worry about minor details when it was closer to the end of their sessions together. When it was that she believed he would be comfortable enough with her not to be offended by her suggestions.

"Thank you for saying so. " She stated politely as she released his hand. Letting hers rest folded over one another in front of herself after a wave of her hand toward the table. "Please come this way. I want to explain how I do things that way you have an understanding of what I expect of you and what you can accomplish through hard work. As cliche as that sounds that is the way it is. "

"I am pleased to hear you are well. " she stated with a smile. "It makes me happy that we'll be starting on a balanced field. " She stated of course meaning that he was not strained by emotion just then.

She was a little surprised by the return of the question, it made her laugh a little, "I am quite well. Thank you for asking. "

With that said it was time to get down to explinations, discussion, and planning. "Before we begin I have a few questions for you. I wish for you to answer each of them as honestly and truthfully as you possibly can. At the end of our session I will leave the floor open for you to ask me anything, lesson related or not, that you wish to know. It might seem a little awkward at first, but I feel it is a good way to build trust between myself and the students I train." She explained.

"To begin with, I would like you to tell me your experiences with your abilities thus far, by this I mean what minds have you been successful in inhabiting. How long it lasts and how you feel afterwards. " such questions would give her a good idea of the student's opinions of his own ability and his experience.

These things were very important in determining the level of training she would begin with.

[Amos Freeman]

Amos followed her obediently to the table, relieved that he was finally going to be told what all the boxes were for.

He blinked at her laughter in response to his question, but offered her a small, tentative smile.

Min was a nice person. This was a nice training session. The experience was so out of the ordinary for him that he was really at a loss for how he should react.

He supposed "nice" would be a good start.

"Erm," he began, looking pensive for a moment. "I feel like I have the most, um, experience, I guess, or success, with birds... as far as, you know, inter-mind communication goes. I kind of... speak f-fluent bird? And rabbits. I get along well with rabbits, too."

He realized that this must sound very stupid, and he wrinkled his nose a little.

"The biggest thing I've ever borrowed is a moose. Um, that went pretty okay. I've borrowed some, er, insects, but that doesn't always go very well, because there's not always... something to communicate with, if you know what I mean."

He paused to gauge her reaction to his stuttering, rambling mess.

"And, um, I've tried to borrow human minds before, too," he admitted. "But that hardly ever works. I mean, the only time I was able to do it for, like, an extended period of time... was with my best friend, but it was still only a f-few minutes."

He fidgeted with the hem of his worn purple t-shirt.

"I usually just get thrown back into my own body."

[Min Hee Wang]

Min would smile to the student, giving him her full attention, her eyes never leaving him as she showed him that she was in fact listening and taking in every aspect of what he was saying. So that it was not put to waste that he was bothering to explain. she knew what it was like to speak to someone and have them not paying attention.

She nodded faintly, making sure he knew she was noting everything he was saying, she would not speak until he finished despite this. She did not want to interrupt and risk him forgetting something or not wanting to tell her because of being interrupted.

Her smile remained, she seemed attentive, and almost amused by how he described his interactions with insects. She didn't seem at all put off by his stuttering nor his rambling. It was refreshing to see someone who didn't expel fumes of arrogance.

"I see. " She stated as she touched her chin a bit. "It sounds like you're doing very well with learning to control your abilities, so i will expect that you will move through these lessons relatively quickly until we get to the points you are weaker with, please do not take the word weak as a bad thing. It merely means that there is room for improvement and that is what you are here for. By the time you leave me and graduate on to your adult life you will be able to lay within the minds of even humans. " she stated with a smile.

"And how are your side-effects. After you've borrowed the mind of your chosen subject, how do you feel, do you experience any fatigue? And if so which do you feel most exhausted from communicating with?" she questioned as she took three small boxes from beneath the cart. Bringing them over to the table and setting them down.

"I apologize if it seems I am asking you a lot of questions, but i promise you that there will be reason behind them." She assured the student.

[Amos Freeman]

Amos nodded quickly as she spoke, to assure her that he, too, was listening.

"Really?" He asked, unable to help himself. "I mean, you th-think... I mean, I never expected to be able to, um, just go into anybody's mind and... could I?"

He didn't know. The thought both excited and perturbed him.

He was quiet for a moment.

"I'm mostly just tired a lot," he admitted, pondering this. "But sometimes... um, I mean, sometimes I come back to my body but I feel really... uncoordinated, like my limbs are asleep, I guess, but they aren't."

He pressed on.

"Also, um, when I spend too much time with, like, birds, I try to... well, fly. Like, places. Like, I mean, down stairs and stuff."

It was hilarious to all of his friends, of course, but the grim look on his face represented how he felt about the ordeal pretty accurately.

"And I chew a lot after I borrow rabbits, but I think I can, I mean, I think I can handle that."

He shifted a bit. He hoped, offhandedly, that those pillows were very soft.

"After I, um, I mean, when I borrowed my friend -- Juniper's -- mind, I slept for like, 15 hours."

[Min Hee Wang]

Min-hee nodded, "With the level your ability is now i believe in time you will be able to acomplish that task, but please be aware that doing so can cause very strong side effects and possibly things you would not wish to happen. The human mind is a very complex thing. " she warned.

"On that matter we will dicuss when we reach that level in our lessons. " She stated with a smile. "that seems to be a logical reaction. When you seperate from your body your mind's impulse's are not reaching your consciousness. When you return your body has to readjust that connection. " she assured him.

"I see. So you begin to take on the characteristics of the minds you inhabit. That is intriguing. " She stated with a smile. "However, we are going to have to get that under control as well. It may seem cute, which it is, but it is dangerous if you were to inhabit a more aggressive animal and obtain their instincts. " She noted that fact. She would have to prepare that lesson at a later date.

"Of course. that is also a very normal reaction, that is why very few people master being able to inhabit another mind, most do not have the strength to handle it for long. " she explained. "however, if you are willing to put in the effort, i can promise we will work hard toward achieving that goal." she stated as she motioned toward the feathered pillows on the nearby floor.

"for now we are going to begin very small and we will work our way up. " she stated as she opened one of the smaller boxes on the table. From within it she pulled out a snake. The length of which wrapped her hand nearly immediately due to the warmth of her skin compared to the cool air. "We're going to begin by a simple exercise of your ability. I would like for you to meet casper." She stated as she make kissy faces at the baby albino python. "he's a sweetheart. " she stated giving Amos a smile.

"What i wish for you to do is to concentrate on inhabiting him. I am going to have you guide him through a maze that I have created, but you will not see the maze before hand to ensure that you are capable of aiding him in completion without a memorized image. " she instructed the younger student.

[Amos Freeman]

Amos looked at Min, then looked at Casper. He was, admittedly, very cute. He smiled reservedly.

"Sure," was all he said. He walked over to the pillows and lowered himself onto them.

Amos had been asked many times to describe the mechanics of his power; that is, everyone always asked him what he saw. His answer bored most of those people, because the answer was nothing, really, per se. He didn't take a spectral form and hover over his own body or anything like that. He just... slipped out, like opening a gate, and was everywhere.

Of course, not really, literally everywhere. Metaphorically everywhere, in the sense that he occupied all possible space within range of his ability. That range was, if he had to guess, roughly half a mile.

He began searching. People always assumed that a mind would be easier to borrow if it was closer to his physical body, but this was not always the case. Some minds, especially those of insects, were like a din in a crowded cafeteria. Others were brief and articulate strings of raw instinct. And some, like human minds, were on such a high frequency of thought that they were nothing more than whispers.

He found Casper, who happened to be thinking about how cold it was in the training room.

He looked at Min through unfamiliar reptilian eyes.

[Min Hee Wang]

Min loved animals, casper was no exception to this, he was dear to her. However, she trusted her students. Knowingly trusting them with those she cared about she hoped would show this fact to her students.

"I hope the pillows are comfortable enough. " she stated with a smile. moving toward the table herself as she lifted the lid to the maze that was hidden beneath the box. The baze was a decent size, it was covered with a clear-plastic box, and only had one way in and one way out through all the twists and turns.

Min smiled to casper whispering to the snake to keep her student's mind safe before she would place the snake at the entrance to the maze. There were small heating lamps withint he maze that kept the interior warmer, but outside it was the same temperature as the room itself. She flipped on the heating lamps as she would kneel sit in the chair near the table. It was a point halfway between the maze and her student. So that she could keep a watchful eye on both.

"Now, I want you to stay very focused, I want you to guide casper through the maze and i expect you will be able to do so without flaw. Most of all i want you to remember that you are human. The moment you fall to fear into their minds, the moment you begin to pick up their traits, you must keep your identity separate." She stated as she watched casper's body closely.

Intrigued by the sensations she felt. Allowing her own ability to feel out the bodies of both subjects within the room. Following the flow of impulses within them. It was very strange to feel casper in that sort of state. It was like there were a quilt of impulses over lapping. It was very difficult to figure out which belonged to her student, but then she tied it to the pattern of the student laying upon the floor.

"if you are ready you may begin."

[Amos Freeman]

Amos would have nodded and smiled at Min's words to signify that the pillows were, indeed, comfortable enough.

However, he was inside a snake at the moment.

It's warm in there, Amos offered to the snake as the heating lamps came on. Apparently, that was all that he needed to do to convince Casper to slither into the maze entrance.

Slithering was a very odd feeling; Amos couldn't honestly say that he liked it. Of course, after you had seen flying from the mind of a bird, very few methods of transportation were likely to impress you.

Let's go that way, Amos suggested again, and this time he met a little resistance.

What's in it for me? Casper wanted to know.

Animals didn't talk much, and when they did, it wasn't in English. When he was in his own body, the concept of hearing impulses instead of thoughts was very hard to explain.

It gets warmer, Amos implied hopefully.

He and Casper slithered to the left and turned the corner. The further they got from the entrance, the faster and more responsive the snake became.

They slithered along just like that until they reached an intersection, and Amos pondered his options.

He wondered how big this maze was, and if there was anything else in it....

[Min Hee Wang]

Min smiled faintly to the sight of the snake moving through the maze. There was no doubt in her mind that the student was controlling him. She was impressed with the ability he had to convince the otherwise stubborn creature to move through the maze.

"You're both doing very well, but do not forget that an animal lives on instincts. Instincts that are not always good to apply to your waking world." she stated as she moved her hands to the second of the smaller boxes. From it she pulled a small mouse.

Though Min-hee did not like the idea of an animal dying, it was a fact of life, the food chain was an inevitable part of existence. She opened a small door on the top of the maze. Dropping the mouse in a few corners away from the snake and her student.

"While retaining some of the animal's instincts may come in handy in your waking life there are others that are less pleasant if not dangerous. To avoid those it is sometimes helpful to be able to convince the animal to avoid them as well while you are within it's mind. " she told him as she introduced the new 'distraction' into the maze. Wondering if her student would be able to convince casper to avoid the animal he would normally consider a meal.

"I want you to convince casper to finish the maze without giving into his instincts."

[Amos Freeman]

Amos heard Min's words and understood them, but it was kind of hard to think with....

FOOD FOOD FOOD FOOD FOOD FOOD FOOD! Casper thought. Or, more accurately, Amos thought with Casper. He could not help it; when instinct gripped an animal so fully, it was hard for him to assert the power of his own mind over the situation.

Wait! He managed. He had to admit, though, against his better human judgment, that mice looked delicious through the eyes of a snake.

Are you crazy? The snake didn't actually say. He lowered his scaly head and fixed his intense gaze on the helpless rodent.

Er. Great. Now he was even stuttering in front of a snake.

I'm really hungry, dude.

Amos knew that, obviously.

There's a bigger mouse at the end of this place, he assured the python. Fattest mouse I ever saw.

The snake paused, considering this (except not really).

Can't I eat them both?

Probably not. This mouse was, like, REALLY big.

Another pause.

Really big, for real, Amos insisted.

If snakes could sigh, Casper probably would have.

Fine.

Together, they slithered the other way.

[Min Hee Wang]

Min smiled a bit, observing the snake, watching as the snake seemed to take a fond interest in the rodent that was provided. She watched as it seemed conflicted. Silently she would wonder what the student had convinced the snake of as casper seemed to turn away from it rather unusually.

A smile would cross min's lips, quite proud of the student for acomplishing that much, however that was only part of the lesson. She would wait for the snake at the other end of the maze, the container she'd carried him there in sitting near the exit, as if threatening that he would be put back into it.

Of course, min-hee would reward the snake for his participation greatly, but as for the student there would be more to come out of this lesson. "You're nearly there. " She stated toward them both.