Morning yoga (open)

[Janis Kelly-Quinn]

Janis had enjoyed a good night's sleep, nice shower, breakfast and now she was ready for her morning exercises. She was dressed in her work out clothes with her hair pulled back in a loose ponytail and carried a gym big with her, equipped with plenty of water bottles. Due to the side effects of her meta abilities, she tried to stay well hydrated even when she wasn't using her powers. Strolling into the gym, Janis took a deep, cleansing breath. There were none of her fellow staff or any students around. She would have preferred some company, but at least now she wouldn't be in anyone's way. The gym may have been empty due to the early hour; Janis liked to have plenty of time to change and prepare for the day after her work out.

Janis took a spot on one of the yoga mats, placed her bag on the floor next to her and began her routine with a few simple stretches. With those out of the way, she began to move through her yoga poses. She was moving into the camel pose, kneeling down and bending backwards. It was then that she noticed another person in the gym. "Oh, Hello." She said, before straightening back up. "I didn't hear you when you came in." She added as she stood up.

[Vincent Meian]

Vincent wasn't often one for morning training. Generally, he tended to meditate after running through his daily routine of cleaning up and dressing, making breakfast and lunch for his family, and ensuring that he had everything he needed for the day before leaving. The walk to the Hammel Institute was often enough to get his blood running early in the day, and it was normally after the end of classes that he exercised in full.

Today, however, was a little different for a number of reasons, though it had all started with the fact that he'd fallen asleep at his desk last night while writing his student's progress reports. This meant that rather than being home when he awoke, the Japanese man had startled awake at around four in the morning and briefly panicked before realizing where he was. A quick check in his phone had assured him that his wife and children had not only made it home safely but had eaten the night before, and thus he'd set about his routine at the school instead.

It had been rather surreal morning in it's own right, but what had actually been stranger was the fact that a number of the training rooms had been closed off for cleaning or or repairs. Having used them mostly during or after school hours, the trainer was unaccustomed to seeing the units unavailable, so with a slight sense of bewilderment he'd headed for the gymnasium instead. Amusingly enough, after arriving, he noticed that the expansive room was not unoccupied.

Inside, a woman was practicing yoga - something that Vincent was rather familiar with, as he tended to do the same during his evening exercises. Before he could silently excuse himself and leave her alone to her work, the woman spotted him (amusingly enough by doing the pose Ustrasana) and called out to him. Weighing the options of staying versus going, the older trainer decided to stay and walked closer, returning the greeting.

"Good morning," he replied in kind. "Would you mind if I trained with you?" The tall man held a towel over his shoulder and a small pile of clothes under one scarred arm, wearing only an undershirt and a pair of gi pants. His long black hair, still wet from an earlier shower, had been tied back from his face haphazardly into a ponytail (even now, his bangs were threatening to escape), and a bandanna wrapped over his forehead. He was (as was normal for most people) considerably taller than her, but his posture showed that he would not compensate for such things. This was a man with training and discipline, but respect; he would leave if she asked him to.

[Janis Kelly-Quinn]

Janis was able to take a better look at the other trainer as he approached. She had seen him around the school enough times since the start of the school year to know he was a fellow trainer and always seemed very serious; but she couldn't think of his name. It would serve as a reminder to pay more attention at the next staff meeting. The man had to be at least a foot taller than her; that alone should have made him stand out more in her memory.

"I don't mind one bit. I'm glad for the company." She replied. If anything, she hoped he wouldn't mind her natural chattiness. "I'm Janis, by the way." Hopefully, that would prompt an introduction from him. "I come here most mornings. I find it helps me clear my mind, so I can focus on the rest of my day." She told him, performing some simple stretches as she spoke. She assumed that from watching her, he had already formed an idea of why she was in the gym. "What kind of work out did you come here for?" She asked, curious to see if he would be close enough for them to continue to talk as they exercised.

[Vincent Meian]

Now that he'd moved closer, the Japanese man vaguely recognized the woman before him as well. He'd seen her around the school, but normally she was a little more dressed up than this. Most people were, in fact; exercising in street clothing was not exactly productive. Her introduction allowed that flicker of recognition to settle, and he replied in kind. "Vincent Meian. You are a trainer here as well, are you not?"

The tall man nodded, kneeling to set his spare set of clothing and towel aside for now. He understood that way of thinking - it was the same reason he meditated in the mornings and trained in the evenings. The workouts tended to make him more relaxed and thus better able to sleep; the meditation centered his thoughts and restructured his mental shields, making it easier for him to process information throughout the day. (Switching the schedule every once in a while didn't ever seem to throw him off, though. Both had relaxing and centering qualities, so training instead of meditating would achieve the same goals.)

"Something similar to you," he answered, standing once more and stretching his long legs thoroughly. "Normally, I train in the evenings with a combination of aikido and yoga, however I seemed to have missed my session last night." Vincent stayed relatively close - within talking distance, at least - though he was well out of leg or arm's length. He didn't want to accidentally kick the woman, even if his spatial awareness alone was enough for him to pull his movements. "What form of the art do you practice?"

[Janis Kelly-Quinn]

"Yes, I am." Janis replied. "I've been here at Hammel for years. And my brother, Jim, is a student here." She raised her arms up over her head, took a few deep breaths and brought them down again. Even a simple move like that felt good at the start of the day. "I don't train him though." She over-protected Jimi too much as it was, he wouldn't accept her as a teacher. The reason he had moved out of her house was for more space, not less.

Janis was guilty of missing the occasional session herself. Sometimes other responsibilities took up her time and at other times, she simply felt like reading a good book or watching a sunrise or sunset instead. "Aikido." She repeated the word slowly, in order to get the pronunciation correct. "Is that a type of marital art?" She asked openly. Having been raised to try to always learn and grow as a person, she was never embarrassed to ask questions about topics she wasn't familiar with.

Janis appreciated the space he had given her as she moved down into the splits and raised her arms again. "Me? Oh, I just have a simple routine, some stretches, and some yoga moves I picked up from a local class. Nothing special."

[Vincent Meian]

"That is good," he agreed, nodding to her. "Adolescent boys need space, especially from their siblings. There is wisdom in that choice." In Japan, there were regulations to encourage such things in schools; however, he was unsure if similar rules applied in the United States. He did not teach his daughters for that reason, though regardless of the fact that one of them did not currently have a metahuman ability, he still coached them in martial arts if not their training or schooling.

Nodding, the tall man stood and stretched his arms, his shoulder popping slightly as he did so. "Yes, it is, though many my height do not practice it," Vincent admitted. he had begun the art when he was much younger, and while the style was very healthy to practice, it was not terribly useful in real combat for him. However, the Japanese man had stuck with it stubbornly and had mastered it well.

"I see." Nodding once, he left her to her devices and warmed up on his own, specifically stretching his legs thoroughly. When limbs were as long as his, cramps were not something one wanted to deal with if they could help it.

[Janis Kelly-Quinn]

Janis nodded. Jim would protest being referred to as an adolescent, but since Janis had yet to acknowledge that Jim had grown up - she felt no need to correct Vincent. "I know I have to, but it's hard to give him that space sometimes." She commented as she shifted her weight onto her right leg and placed her left foot on her right thigh. "I raised him from the time he was a baby. There are times that I still think of him as a child."

Janis would not have thought of being tall as a limitation. She had always though the martial arts were about principles of the mind as much as they were about the body. Of course, at her height, and not practicing marital arts herself, she was again not knowledgeable on the subject. "Is it more of a challenge at your height?" She asked curiously, as she stretched her hands upwards. She often selected the easiest path herself, with the one exception of taking care of Jim. That had never been easy, but it had been worth it.

Janis clasped her palms together over her head. Another person might have felt embarrassment at not having a more established, complicated routine, but she felt none. She believed she could let her body tell her what it needed and exercise based on that with the simple techniques that she knew.

[Vincent Meian]

The older trainer gave a slight smile at that. While he didn't have any siblings or friends in that same position, he doubted he would ever see hims own daughters as anything but his little girls. In some ways that was good; in others, perhaps not so much. He may or may not have been a little nervous about the idea of either of them dating (despite the current unlikeliness of such an event). "It is difficult to change a perception when we have had it for some time," he agreed. "Perhaps someday you will overcome it."

Standing upright from his stretching, the trainer replied as he settled back into another position (front leg bent, back leg straight to stretch the muscles further). "Yes - aikido is specifically made for those who are smaller than their opponents; this is in large part due to the prevalence of throws and counters in the style, and partially because it was designed by my shorter countrymen. If there are two disciples of the same ability, the smaller of the two will invariably win."

Placing one hand on the ground, the tall man stretched his other towards the ceiling, twisting his torso to accommodate the feat. He had no qualms with Janis' lack of structure in her motions, nor did he offer any advice on her stances. He would only intervene if he saw that she was in danger of hurting herself, or if she asked for advice. Other than that, it was not his concern how much she knew or did not know. Simple techniques were often the best, and Vincent's own prevalence towards complex techniques was simply for the difficulty value of them. It kept him flexible and hardly, and his muscles strong. But such things were not for everyone.

[Janis Kelly-Quinn]

Perhaps." Janis agreed. She did try to have an open mind in her life; she could always apply that thought process to her own brother. As she continued to move through her routine, it occurred to her that she was being self-centered, talking about her own family without asking Vincent about his. "Do you have family in the area?" She asked him; choosing an open question on purpose. She didn't want to make any assumptions about his martial status or anything else. It annoyed her when people asked her what her husband did, or other such questions that forced her to correct them by explaining that she was single. She wouldn't want to put anyone else in the same position.

Janis gave a nod to show that she was listening as she stretched. She had heard about techniques where a smaller person had the advantage, but that had been in a self-defence class she took years ago. Beyond that. she had never given it any thought. It was genuinely interesting to learn more as she continued to work out.

[Vincent Meian]

The trainer straightened his back slowly, breathing deeply as he did so. When he had settled into a stable position with his arms extended to their full length to the front and behind, he nodded. "Yes, I do. My daughters attend the local schools, and my wife is currently the on-call physician here." Pausing a moment to sink lower into the stance and increase the pressure on his leg muscles, he added, "Her brother has also recently arrived from Japan, meaning that all of my blood relatives are now in one location once more."

He didn't mention the fact that he had a sister out there somewhere in the world. Vincent had never met her, and only had her birth name, a journal and a necklace to go off of. If one did not have family in their life, they could hardly be counted as important to the dynamic. Still, should he ever meet her...

He switched sides, putting his back to the woman as he repeated the technique in full. With the t-shirt over his torso, his back was covered but his arms were in full view. Scars crisscrossed over them both in alarming frequency, and over the right one was a slightly faded black tattoo - a coil of tribal markings from wrist to under the sleeve. Having grown used to their presence, the older adult never took them to mind, but to someone who didn't know him they would probably be seen as interesting.

[Janis Kelly-Quinn]

"Oh, you have daughters. That's wonderful. How old are they?" Janis asked. As much as she told herself that she didn't believe in gender roles; there was a part of her that would want a daughter if she were to have a child of her own. A little girl to dress in ruffles and lace, and then to develop a mother daughter bond with as they grew older with long talks, trips to the spa, all those things that Jim had never shown any interest in.

"I've probably met your wife, or at least seen around." She remarked. She had probably met Vincent's wife at some point in her career. Janis was the type to send a student to the doctor if she even remotely suspected they were sick, injured or suffering the side effects of their powers. When it came to a the health of someone in her care, she believed it was better to be safe than sorry and could be over-protective. "That's great that you all get to be together." She added. All she really had for family was Jim. She loved the closeness she shared with her brother, and having more family could only add to that in her mind.

Janis straightened up and reached for her water bottle. Bringing it to her lips, she began to take slow sips. She dehydrated easily and knew she had to keep drinking water. She also knew that drinking too fast for her could shock her system. As she drank, she glanced at Vincent. Because of the nature of her deceased parent's work, she knew better to than to ask about scars. So many people had emotional scars to accompany the physical ones.

The tattoo had caught her attention though. She often thought about a tattoo for herself, but the fact that they were permanent prevented her from actually getting one. It was hard to commit to one, when she couldn't know for certain if she would still like the same tattoo years down the road.

"Does you tattoo have any special significance?" She asked curiously, between sips. On the days she imagined a tattoo for herself, she pictured something special to her, such as a ribbon for one of her causes, or her one of parents' favourite flowers.

[Vincent Meian]

"My oldest child is sixteen," Vincent replied, "and the younger is twelve. They seem to be adapting well." It had been something the trainer had worried about while considering transference to Hammel, and while he had been certain that Cassi would be able to rebound from it easily, it appeared that both girls were doing well. Though, Appoline still had minimal control of her abilities and was still struggling socially...

His attention redirected back to Janis as he straightened again, shifting his balance to one foot as the other rested atop its bent knee. It almost looked like he was sitting in an invisible chair. "She is usually quite noticeable," he agreed. Unlike many of his countrymen, the Japanese man had found her albinism intriguing rather than repellent. Her complex mind and sharp tongue had only reinforced the attraction. "If you have not met her personally to date, I am certain you will in the near future. She spends much of her time here of late."

Flu season had hit hard, after all.

Vincent agreed with the sentiment, even if he only did so with a nod. Having everyone together certainly made life easier, even if his younger daughter hadn't manifested (and therefore attended the nearby elementary school).

Considering that his arms were stretched out before him now for balance, the tall man could easily glance between his coworker and the aforementioned black marks on his arm. He'd received the tattoo when he was much younger, shortly before his second child came into the world. To ask if it had special meaning amused and surprised him; no one commented openly on such things where he had come from, unless it was the police. "It does," he admitted. "It is difficult to explain in English, as I have not yet mastered the subtleties of the language. In the most simple terms, it marks a time of change in my youth, and serves as a reminder that I need not be ashamed of my past because I have learned from my mistakes."

There was a substantial bit more that he didn't explain; the symbolism of dragons as godly entities in Japanese culture, the prevalence of water in their abilities (and thus an irony, given his deep fear of drowning and his fiery temper), its general symbol of fortune and wisdom, the fact that black was a color closely associated with earth and thus symbolized prosperity and fortune... even the fact that the color choice was a subtle pun on his own last name (Meian meaning "shadow" in Japanese). It was not a very complex series of marks, and the design was more of a fire-inspired tribal design (yet another irony) rather than traditional Japanese art, but it was so much more than what was shown.

Vincent was reminded then that since the ink was certainly much lighter than when he'd obtained it years ago, he should probably have it touched up at some point.

"Do you have an interest in taking one for yourself?" he asked Janis, looking to her before shifting a little lower in the stance. It was a strenuous position, but he'd be able to hold it a while yet.

[Janis Kelly-Quinn]

"That's good." Janis murmured. The pre-teen and teen years could be tough; she remembered the difficulty she had adjusting to life at Hammel, and then her brother's rebellious phase all too well.

She gave a nod at the fact that she would be interacting with the school's doctor more often these days. "Yes, I suppose I will. " She agreed. "It is that time of year when more students are feeling unwell." It was a shame too. Vermont could be so beautiful in the winter; she didn't want any of her students to miss out on it.

Janis smiled as she slowly lowered her body by bending her knees, also as if to mimic sitting in a chair, though both her feet were firmly planted on the floor. His English was much better than her fluency in of the other languages she had tried to learn in the past. There were a few key phrases she knew in several languages - hello, goodbye, yes, no, sorry, please, thank you, where is the bathroom, how much does this cost, do you speak english, and so on. But she was nowhere near close to mastering any language other than English. She clasped her hands together over her head and held the pose for half a minute, before straightening back up again.

"For what it's worth, I think your English is excellent." She commented. She was sure that if an actual English teacher was to look at her own command of the language, they'd find plenty of errors. It was easy to fall into the habit of using slang and other such speech patterns, especially when it had been years since she'd had to worry about formal grammar and syntax. Her primary concern was with student's powers after all. "And I like that way of thinking. I'm sure we all have those events in our past that we can, and should, learn from." She added. She had certainly evolved from the spoiled little girl that had been a student at Hammel years ago and she kept in mind all the life lessons she had picked up along the way.

"I've thought about a tattoo." Janis replied. "Some days, I think of getting a tattoo of a gazania. It was my mother's favourite flower. Other times, I think of a peace symbol in honour of my dad. He used to wear this t-shirt all the time that had a big peace sign on it. And I also think of getting their names....but then I wonder if it would be depressing, to have a constant reminder that they're..." She paused and then added "They're not here anymore." Even after all these years, it was hard to say that they were dead. The word didn't seem right. Janis was not religious, but she liked to believe that her parents' spirits lived on in some form.

[Vincent Meian]

The compliment to his language skills actually made the trainer glance to his coworker in surprise. He was not used to being complimented on many things, especially on his mastery of language. While he'd worked diligently to increase his standard of conversational English, he was still far from being completely fluent in any sense of the word. Still, it was a kindness he appreciated. "I thank you, Miss Janis," he answered, bowing his head slightly in her direction. "It is good to see that my practice is of good quality."

He nodded in response to her agreement with his way of thinking as well. The past was meant to stay there, and while it had influence on the present it did not control one's life. "Indeed there are," he replied. "For many of us, it is simply learning to allowing past events to remain in their time that is the hardest step."

"To take a tattoo in remembrance of a loved one is a noble choice," Vincent remarked after listening to the woman speak her piece, his voice slightly softer and understanding. "For many, it is a step towards understanding uncontrolled events in their lives. Perhaps there is a way for the design to have all of those pieces tied into the whole?" Considering that the dragon on his arm and shoulder was the only one Vincent had ever received, he was unfamiliar with the art as a whole, but he was sure that there would be a tattoo artist in the states that could do something like that for her.

[Janis Kelly-Quinn]

The surprised on Vincent's face took Janis by surprise and she gave a nod in reply to his gratitude. She assumed he would have heard compliments on his ability to speak English all the time. She dismissed those thoughts, guessing that not everyone shared her difficulty learning a second language and therefore were not as impressed. Of course her difficulty with language could be described as a lack of effort; she had always quit when another interest caught her attention.

Janis considered his words. There was truth in them. She herself had met people stuck in the past, unable to move forward with their lives. "I suppose the trick is to find the balance between remembering enough of the past to benefit from it, without letting it become overwhelming." She commented.

"Perhaps." Janis replied, already able to picture it in her mind. A peace sign made of flowers would be especially pretty on her shoulder, or perhaps her ankle. She could even have her parent's names or one of their favorite sayings underneath it. "I like that idea. Thanks."