A Mind is a Terrible Thing to Waste (Jesse Adams)

[Vincent Meian]

Most people would have been nervous to have Jesse Adams as a student when it came to powers training, especially if those people did not have psychic abilities or those designed to combat psychic users. A memory manipulator was not someone to be trifled with under the best of circumstances, and the former MSAD agent was hardly a paragon of virtue. His file was wrought with disciplinary action and notes of taking delight in the torment of others using his powers, not to mention the account of being part of a metahuman supremacist group. On the surface, he appeared to be a nightmare for anyone sane to train, let alone someone who hadn't practiced anything beyond emotional shielding in years.

However, Vincent Meian wasn't worried. Prepared, yes, but unconcerned.

He had read the file, seen the notes, and taken a careful overview of the transcripts - he knew what there was to know regarding Jesse's powers and his capabilities. He also knew that the boy had returned to Hammel voluntarily, and was currently in the process of not only graduating from the Institute, but attempting to redeem himself in the eyes of society. To return to a place you thought you had abandoned, to admit you were wrong and return to make right... it took courage. And the trainer respected that.

So much so that he opted not to have the first training session in one of the designated rooms, but in his office.

Normally, the trainer tried to keep his personal workspace out of his training grounds. It was a small space, and very much devoid of almost anything to focus on. However, when it came to showing the respect that he had for someone, letting them into his personal sanctum for a lesson was certainly high on the list.

Not to mention the status assessment he had concerned himself with today.

Still, Vincent took another look over the file of Jesse Adams while he waited for the boy to arrive. He wanted to be as familiar with the young man's powers (and what side effects to expect from them) as he could possibly be before experiencing them first-hand. The Japanese man had already requisitioned some supplies from the infirmary in case the normal side-effects of mental powers applied; aspirin for headaches, an chemical ice pack for muscle strain, and a minor muscle relaxant in case there were tension headaches. Bottled water was also set out for the both of them, and the trainer had left them sealed and untouched.

There was a knock at the door, and the golden-eyed man looked up, putting away the file in his desk as he stood to answer the door. Opening the solid wood panel, he met the eyes of his student for the first time and nodded, motioning past him to the chair.

"Mr. Adams," he greeted politely. "Please, come in. We have much to discuss."

[Jesse Adams]

It had taken a while for Jesse to get his assigned trainer. He suspected that it had something to do with Dr. Neville’s sessions, and the fact that the majority of the trainers still at the school had likely participated in the M.S.A.D. vs. Hammel battle. The one that should have seen him dead, and instead had landed him with someone he’d trusted minimally at best. So much had happened since then, and while his anger may have fizzled when it came to Hammel, there was one person he was determined not to come across. All he knew when it came to training was that he would not end up under Chase Kilbourne’s instruction. Everyone was probably worried he’d try to kill the trainer, and their fear certainly wasn’t unjust. Chase had been responsible for his mentor’s death directly, and that was one thing he couldn’t forgive.

Even if Gabriel’s ideals about the world were a little... well, skewed. That didn’t matter.

Nothing about him mattered anymore. Which, despite his sessions with Dr. Neville, Jesse was still having a hard time with.

So it had been a slight surprise when he finally received instruction for his training sessions. He didn’t recognize the name, which meant nothing. Lots had seemed to have changed since he had last roamed the halls at sixteen. What was more surprising was the instruction to go to the trainer’s office, rather than the rooms.

Well, maybe it wasn’t so surprising. He had been allowed to mainstream when it came to his classes, but training was entirely different. He didn’t blame them for trying to isolate him, if that was what this was.

Upon finishing his academic classes, Jesse dumped his things in his dorm before leaving to head down the hall with the offices. It wasn’t hard to find the right door, and he even took a moment to practice manners and knocked. If he wanted to graduate, he needed to behave. Barging into offices for training sessions was not behaving.

He couldn’t lie. He was apprehensive about this meeting. The last time he had been trained by anyone was by Gabriel, and with his help he had developed a light, dangerous touch. This wouldn’t be the same, and he knew it. He almost didn’t want to train anymore, but he had to prove he had control of himself. Maybe, if this went well, he wouldn’t have to go for long.

When the door opened, the blond teenager tipped his head back to look over his new trainer. Instantly his discomfort increased, and as a reflex he cranked up his mental shields. He didn’t know what his power was, but he didn’t want to take chances. Dr. Neville was the only one he let his shields down for nowadays, and even that was mostly to prove his honesty in his answers to questions.

He entered the office upon being invited, all the while assessing the small space for potential escape routes. It wasn’t that he was planning to pull something stupid like he had when he had run away. It was more for his own peace of mind. He didn’t like the idea of being trapped in a small room with Vincent, and knowing his way out would give him that slight comfort.

... He really was a mess.

He moved himself into a corner, his back against the wall, rather than sit in the chair right away. “So you’re the one that got saddled with me.” For his fearful act, he was pretty sure he was still able to sound the smallest bit confident. “I’m sure they warned you all about me.” He dipped his head so that his bangs obscured his eyes. “What’s the plan, exactly?”

[Vincent Meian]

Though the increase in shielding went entirely unnoticed (as Vincent's powers were dimensional in nature and not mental or emotional), the trainer did catch other subtle hints of being guarded; the stiffening of the muscles in the boy's shoulders and jaw, the nervous glances about the room, the way he positioned himself against the wall by the bookshelf so that his back was defended. The blonde sounded confident, but his actions belied that.

Closing the door but deliberately not locking it, the tall man moved behind the desk and sat down, negating the amount Jesse had to look up at him entirely. It was mostly a subconscious act at this point; his height made people uncomfortable, and when he noticed it he immediately remedied the situation. Considering he was in a position where doing so was not considered rude, the trainer hadn't even hesitated with it.

"I have been told to take care when training your abilities," Vincent admitted, nodding slightly. There was no reason for him to lie, after all, especially when trust would be key to their sessions. "However, your past is of little concern to me; the only portion of it I need to know is how much you have learned to date. To that extent, you are as any other student to me and thus warnings are not necessary."

Being warned to take care with a student was almost an invitation to take them on in his opinion. Those who made trouble often did it for a reason; he had.

"For now, I am interested in what you already know," he continued. "How much training have you received with your dream and memory manipulation? What are your limitations that you are aware of?" Despite the fact that much of this was written in the boy's file, the older man felt the need to ask - oftentimes, students had a different perception of their abilities than teachers, either for better or worse. If he knew where Jesse stood in his own mind, they would have an easier time of things even when challenged.

[Jesse Adams]

Jesse tried not to jump when the door shut, but the attempt only got him so far. He still twitched before fixing his new trainer with a look that distinctly said ‘I don’t trust you.’ Granted, there were few people in the world he actually placed trust in, and a good number of them were either dead or on the other side of the damn world at this point. Or in Los Angeles, but even then there were only two there he’d be willing to trust completely.

His green eyes studied Vincent behind his curtain of blond hair. He was well aware he probably looked like a cornered animal, but he didn’t care. His back was to the wall, and he felt safer that way. He wasn’t moving to the chair anytime soon. He had given Sean his trust because he’d had no other choice. It had been the only way back in to Hammel, and he’d finally admitted to himself that he needed a little help. After his encounter with a former operative who had turned her life around, well, he’d more or less hit rock bottom.

And now he was at his trainer’s mercy. “Good. You’ll need it.” Was he taunting? Just a tiny bit. Just enough to try to make his actions seem less significant. Just because he was against the wall didn’t mean he wasn’t still capable of biting if pushed. “I don’t plan to tell you anything about that, anyway.” His past, not his powers. Sean was the only one privy to his recent history, and that was that.

What did he already know? Well, that his side effects from dream manipulation were still very much out of control, but he didn’t dare give that up yet. Instead he cocked his head to the side. “I received extensive training from my mentor. Private tutoring.” That wasn’t a lie. Jesse folded his arms across his chest. “I can permanently alter memories. And dreams, I can alter in the same way.” He didn’t want to discuss his side effects, because one was humiliating, and the other was just annoying. “I don’t know limits. All I know is that the more I alter memories, the more my own get fuzzy.” There, that wasn’t too revealing. “Can we just get this over with? I don’t...” He looked away. It wasn’t like he actually had anything else to do. He just wanted to get out of there as fast as possible. “I don’t want to train like this,” he finished lamely. It was going to end up reminding him of grueling training sessions with Gabriel, and he did not want the dead man in his head.

[Vincent Meian]

If there was something that the ex-soldier did not expect right away, it was most certainly trust. Jesse had neither reason to trust Vincent, nor a suitable frame of mind for trust to grow at this point; expecting a sense of bonding any time in the near future was like expecting the weather to be consistent in Japan.

"It is good to know that we have an understanding, then," was the Japanese man's only response. The taunting was not appreciated, though there was not even so much as a sharp glance from the trainer in response. Hostility in various forms was reasonable (to an extent) - at least the blonde wasn't actively trying to assault him, like the older man had done to his trainers in the past. It would likely not have ended well for either of them in such a case; those kinds of conflicts rarely did. So, the mocking was largely ignored and passed over.

Vincent listened very carefully to the words his new student was using, keeping his gaze focused on the young man to show that he had his full attention. The way he glossed over his mentor (and their training) spoke volumes that the words did not, mostly that he did not wish to revisit those memories at present and partially that it was really none of the trainer's business (which, at the moment, he agreed that it wasn't). Jesse's generalizations were also signature to someone who was uncomfortable with the subject at hand, whether in reference to the subject as a whole or simply by the nature of to whom he was speaking. Still, there were other questions that needed answering, so Vincent pressed him for them.

"Do you have the ability to return altered memories to their previous state? What sort of memories and dreams have you altered in the past?"

Upon hearing the most discomforted statements yet, however, the trainer's expression grew mildly concerned. Like this? Was there something wrong with the way they were speaking? Perhaps there was a reference to the "mentor" in that line of thinking, but the assumption didn't cross his mind. Instead, he asked, "Is there another way that you would prefer? I do not wish for you to be uncomfortable. Challenged, certainly - however if you cannot train in this manner, we may find another solution."

Vincent didn't believe that Jesse would do well in a group session, nor was he really prepared to do one at this point. He only had two other student with mental/emotional powers, and the tall man preferred having personal training routines designed specifically for each student. Group training countermanded that logic directly. However, if there was an issue with solitary training, they could find another way.

[Jesse Adams]

It was nice that Vincent wasn’t expecting trust, because it just wasn’t in the cards for Jesse. He was well aware that a number of people at the school would still think of him as an agent of M.S.A.D., which didn’t give him a lot of reason to trust them back. All he wanted was to graduate, and if Dr. Neville managed to work some kind of magic on him to deal with the issues unrelated to M.S.A.D., well... that would just be a bonus. (He was fast losing hope on that one, though.)

At the less than antagonistic response, Jesse just snorted and crossed his arms tighter across his chest. An ‘understanding.’ That was just pathetic. He didn’t want to have an ‘understanding’ with his trainer. He just wanted to get in, get the job done, and get out again. He’d made a promise to behave himself, but he hadn’t expected something as simple as training to push his buttons. Maybe he wasn’t ready for this, as terrible a thought that was. If he didn’t pass training, he wouldn’t graduate. He heaved a sigh and pressed his shoulders further into the wall, ignoring the dull ache forming.

He didn’t like the way Vincent was looking at him as he spoke. Like he was the only thing in the room that really mattered, which he highly doubted was true. He did his best to ignore it, going as far as staring at the ceiling. Anything to avoid looking at him. He didn’t want to lose his temper here, because if he had an outburst now, he could probably kiss the idea of graduating goodbye. He had to keep it together, no matter how hard it might be.

“... I don’t know. I’ve never tried.” All his training with Gabriel, honing his skills, had always been used for destructive purposes. “I can change anything you want me to.” His gaze flittered from the ceiling to the ground. “Before I left Hammel, I’d erased some girl’s bad boyfriend for her in training.” Because she had volunteered for it, not because he’d just felt like it. “Dreams are easier. They’re more... responsive, because they aren’t concrete in someone’s mind.” Why was he even talking about this? He just wanted to go.

Vincent’s concern was... unnerving to the teenager. He wasn’t used to being worried about, and he sure as hell didn’t want to become used to it, either. He just gave his trainer another look. “No. This is just a colossal waste of time.” He didn’t want to go into the real reason, but this seemed a decent alternative. “I already know how to control my powers. I don’t need someone to hold my hand.” Really, he just didn’t want to be trained so close to how Gabriel had trained him. Only he figured that Vincent probably wouldn’t let him do whatever he wanted to the memories and dreams of humans. The trainer might have been able to help him with his dream side effects, but he didn’t want to own up to them.

Yeah, this was going to be a long, long session.

[Vincent Meian]

As much as such reactions would have annoyed the trainer with other students, Vincent was not terribly bothered by Jesse's prickly nature. He disliked the disrespect shown, but other than that the responses given (even the shying away further) were completely expected. The blonde boy had every right to be nervous and unsure, and if he needed to test the trainer it was unlikely to leave him wanting. Even if the teen didn't want to be here, they would still train - it was a necessity, after all, and regardless of his personal dislike of such things, Jesse would still have to abide by the rules.

That didn't mean that Vincent had to make it hard for him.

"That will be something that we work towards, then," he replied with a nod. Using one's powers to repair rather than destroy was difficult in many cases, however if Jesse's abilities and control were as strong as he and others claimed, it would be a less than trying test. Then there was the erasure of the girl's memory of her relationship - while it had been done in training (and thus he assumed under request), erasure of that much memory was often very difficult and very hazardous for both parties. The fact that there was no mentioned side-effects either meant that there were none... or that Jesse didn't want to talk about them.

Apparently, his concern was unappreciated, as was his attention; the blonde seemed to glower at Vincent and only replied with bitter snaps and petulance. The Japanese man's face relaxed back into something more neutral - if the student thought it was a waste of time, proving otherwise would be difficult, but it would have to happen regardless. If you believe that training is a waste, then why did you return at all?

Despite his thoughts, the older man shook his head. "How much training you may or may not have had does not prove that you are capable of using your abilities responsibly," he reasoned. "If you can assure me of that - honestly - and use your abilities to comfort rather than manipulate, you will pass my course."

His training would likely be along the lines of finer control and side-effect minimization, however teaching the right mindset was just as important as teaching usage. No matter how subtle the knife's edge or the skill of the user, it took entirely different people to cook, carve, or kill with the same blade. Figuring out which type of person Jesse was would take a while, but it would be instrumental in understanding what the retired soldier had to teach him.

Returning to the previous topic, Vincent motioned to his student briefly, "Have you made many attempts to manipulate dreams, or do you prefer memories?" While memories were well and good, he didn't want the boy accidentally causing nightmares. Besides, if he knew where to begin, this may go more smoothly - the tall man was not lacking in either dreams or memories that he would rather not have (even though he would't give up the latter entirely).

[Jesse Adams]

Jesse honestly hadn’t doled out much respect for anyone since his mentor had died. Dr. Neville got it only by default. He had to trust him, and to a small degree, respect him. But his trainer, he didn’t think he wanted to trust or respect. Not for a while. He didn’t care how nice of a guy he was, or how gentle he might be. He just wanted to get all of this over with. He was sure that Fiona would hit him if she knew this was how he was viewing his second chance, but so be it.

“Fine,” he grumbled. That would be a new one. He was fairly sure he’d get the hang of it. Really, he’d just have to do the opposite of what he was doing now. It couldn’t be that challenging. All Gabriel had taught him was to destroy, and it would be hard to get out of that mindset. Hell, he hadn’t even used dream manipulation nicely since he had left home for Hammel in the first place, when he was sixteen. Even then, it had only been for his little sister. No one else.

Finally, his trainer stopped looking so... fatherly at him. That caused his tensed shoulders to drop a little. He almost did better with tough love, if only because that was what he was used to. Even Gabriel’s rare gentleness had been alien to him. Holding his hand and taking baby steps would only make him more petulant about the whole thing.

“... Then you’ve got a lot to learn about me.” Jesse shook his head, clearing his face of his bangs. “If you’d bothered to read the file, you’ll be able to see just how ‘responsible’ I was.” Before he ran away and joined a group of terrorists. “Nothing’s changed. I don’t know how to use them any other way but causing chaos.” Finally, he was showing some honesty. Mostly because he wanted to prove a point. His control was impeccable when it came to his abilities. It was how he used them that could use some fine tuning. It was the same with his side effects. “If you can undo that, you’re probably freaking Jesus or something.”

No matter how much he might want to try to change himself, like he’d already told Dr. Neville, it was going to take a lot to undo some of the damage that had been done in terms of his training. He had been trained like an operative, bent on destruction. He didn’t want to be an operative of M.S.A.D. anymore. He wanted to graduate, and move on with his life. It had worked for Fiona, and she’d promised it would work for him, too. If only he would stop butting heads with people, he might actually have a hope of achieving that.

He dropped his gaze again as he answered. “I’ve done both. I prefer memories, mostly because the side effects are more tolerable.” There, more honesty, even if it was vague. “What do you want me to do?” He suspected that he’d have to actually extend his powers to show his control at some point, and it wasn’t something he was looking forward to. Using his powers meant touching his trainer, and he just... didn’t want to.

[Vincent Meian]

Looking fatherly was something that Vincent did very well. Mostly because, well, he was a father - of two teenage (or close enough to) girls. Acting fatherly was something he tried to keep out of his sessions as much as possible, simply for the fact that his students needed to be trained and not have yet another parental figure in their lives. Sometimes, they needed a friend; sometimes a mentor was more necessary. Other times, they needed sense beaten into them. Despite how the teen before him was acting, the latter was not the best way. For a student like Jesse, discipline and understanding both would be needed - conflict and domination would only make matters worse.

Seeing the blonde relax was a good sign, though. Apparently he just didn't like being stared at.

"Your tense states the point I am making," the trainer replied, gesturing once again. "You were irresponsible. The fact the you returned to this school has proven that something has changed - do not make light of the courage that took." Vincent paused, then gave the boy a slight smile of amusement. "It will also not be my accomplishment when you succeed; you have already begun to help yourself."

The mention of side-effects made the Japanese man pause and search his student's face for a moment. The way Jesse spoke stated that his side-effects were either very uncomfortable or embarrassing - either way, he didn't want to mention them more than in passing. It was fine - they would get to that relatively soon enough. "Considering that this is a status assessment," he replied calmly, "I must ask you to demonstrate your control over your abilities."

Exactly where they went from here was entirely dependent on Jesse's reaction to that statement.

[Jesse Adams]

Jesse didn’t need another father figure in his life. Not that he’d admit that. The last few... really hadn’t panned out well. His biological father was a lost cause, and he didn’t waste time thinking about the bastard anymore. Gabriel... well... he had no idea what the older man had been to him beyond important. Skip him. Max... Nathan... whatever the hell he was going by now... well, he’d probably been the best influence. If you ignored the bitching and yelling and biting comments. Not that it mattered. Jesse still hated him, and he’d run away for exactly that reason. (Sort of. He’d told Fifi the truth, but he hadn’t even told Sean about that one.)

So really, he didn’t want to deal with yet another adult thinking they could fuss over him and act like a parent. The thought alone made him shudder. He didn’t need a father. He had bad luck with them, and he could accept that.

Oh. He’d picked up on that. The teenager scoffed slightly. “I came back because a... friend told me it was the right thing to do.” He dropped his arms from his chest, letting them hang by his sides and nodded to Vincent’s desk. “How much does that file say about my ‘extracurriculars’ after I left, huh?” As much as he was just stalling, and trying to prove that he wouldn’t be an easy student, he wanted his trainer to understand why as much as possible, without having to talk about it. Talking... well, with Fifi he’d cried, and his sessions with Sean left him feeling strangely hollow. “Hey. I just wanna graduate. This whole courage discussion? Not helping.” He didn’t care what his trainer thought of his return. He just wanted to graduate, and try to let Sean help him through some of his pre-M.S.A.D. issues. The post M.S.A.D. ones, at least some of them, were still off limits in his mind.

Truthfully, the blond boy would benefit from help in curbing his side effects. His nightmares had always been out of control, no matter what he’d done with his powers during the day. If he could get a grasp on that, maybe he could stop mainlining coffee and acting like an insomniac.

“... Fine.” Jesse’s jaw clenched slightly at the idea of touching his trainer. Maybe he had a student ‘volunteer’. “Where’s the vic – test subject?” Not victim, not anymore. This was Hammel, not the compound, and he was not an operative. “You’re an idiot if you’re asking me to ‘demonstrate’ on you.” Either that or far too trusting for his own good. Jesse wasn’t sure if he’d want himself to do it to his own memories. ... Actually, that wasn’t true. He’d tried, once. He’d also failed miserably. But maybe... maybe Vincent knew a way to make it possible. He didn’t dare ask Sean, because he knew what the answer would be. Perhaps if he cooperated with Vincent, he could ask and get the answer he wanted. With that in mind, he pushed off the wall and came forward, perching on the edge of the chair by the desk. “You know what? Okay. I’ll show you.” He steeled his nerves slightly. “Give me your hand.”

[Vincent Meian]

A slight frown creased the older man's features, though admittedly it was thoughtful rather than angry. Simply because someone else had told Jesse that it was the right thing to do didn't lessen its impact at all - the boy was still here, it was of his own free will, and it still took more guts than most people had to admit he was wrong and return regardless. Modesty was one thing, but this seemed almost like outright denial.

"Your file explains some, yes, and in brief account," Vincent answered. "You may see, if you wish, however I do not believe the information within to be pertinent to our training exercises. Considering your urgency, perhaps the more expedient option is simply for you to tell me why you are being so counter-intuitive, or perhaps explain why graduation matters if you do not care what authority figures think of you. From the way you acting, it almost appears as if you do not care either way, thus I am curious why it seems to mean so much that you are here." The trainer settled his gaze firmly on the boy, and his countenance held a feeling of unrelenting - if Jesse wanted to be snarky and try to lead this session in circles, it wouldn't work. Understanding what they both expected from these sessions would help them progress, even if the blonde didn't see that.

Mostly, Jesse needed to understand why he was here - Vincent was only a means to an end, regardless of the outcome. The blonde's presence in the school was the real question, especially if he had such doubts.

The hitch in wording was something the Japanese man noticed, but did not entirely understand - his fluency was not quite to that standard yet, so he simply left that matter alone. Amusingly. too trusting was definitely something that was not usually attributed to the Asian man, and idiocy was in the eyes of the offended. From his student's point of view, he probably looked quite careless. "Perhaps so," the older man replied. "However, it is the best way to judge your capabilities."

Without even a nod of assent, Vincent leaned forward and held out his hand for Jesse to take. Scars lined the tan flesh in crisscrossing patterns from fingertips up past the tall man's elbow, and a plain silver band presided on one finger. Like the rest of him, these appendages were long and lean, with callouses on the fingertips, knuckles, and palm from years of physical training in one form or another. As he waited, the trainer made a mental note of the necessity of physical contact, and kept his gaze steady on the teen.

"Be wary where you tread, Mr. Adams," he warned softly. There were some things in Vincent's mind that no one should see - fortunately, much of it was buried deep in his past and not at the forefront of his mind. If Jesse didn't venture too far back, he wouldn't have to worry much.

[Jesse Adams]

Fiona’s suggestion had been the spark, yes, but there were still times that Jesse lapsed into a feeling of discontent when he doubted his own intentions in coming back to Hammel. Usually just after sessions with Sean. Sure, he had his own motivations in coming back, such as access to Dr. Neville for actual help. But the rest? Graduating? That was mostly due to Fifi. If he’d been left to his own devices, he would have already made for Cuba and disappeared in search of Lala and Reese. Instead, he was here, trying to ditch his past and move towards a better future.

... Ugh, his life was turning into an afterschool special.

He continued to give Vincent a look as he mentioned the file. “It won’t have the important stuff in there.” Of course, he didn’t consider reports from his teachers, or from Sean, particularly important. Anything of value that might help his new trainer would have happened away from Hammel’s watchful eyes. He huffed out his breath and returned to looking at the ceiling. “You talk too much.” He was in very real danger of slipping back into his old ways, and he had no doubts in his mind that he would be transferred from trainer to trainer until someone finally gave up and he was expelled. Yes, he was an optimist. “You’re supposed to be impressed that I ran away, played happy family with what Dr. Neville calls a terrorist group, and came back with my tail between my legs. Case closed.” He wasn’t going to go into depth about the other reasons he was here. Like trying to get over his mentor’s death (though that was currently low on his list of priorities), and getting Dr. Neville to help with his issues of distrust and anger.

Apparently, he wasn’t there yet. Such was life. His trainer would just have to do deal with it.

At least Vincent acknowledged that he was aware offering himself was a Bad Idea. Capital letters and all. Still, Jesse had no intentions of being his former, irate self when it came to this kind of exercise. He didn’t feel like being expelled so early in his return, before he managed to get what he wanted out of coming back. No, he was going to be good.

Despite being the one to ask for his trainer’s hand, Jesse still visibly recoiled when Vincent offered it. It wasn’t the scars that unnerved him, but rather the idea of actually touching him in general. He couldn’t remember the last time he hadn’t flinched away from touching someone else. ... Actually, he could. He’d let the Verax guy beat the crap out of him before coming back to Hammel. Mostly because he’d deserved it. Funny. He recoiled from people out of some sort of twisted fear of being struck, yet when someone was actively trying to hit him he’d let it happen. He had no idea what that said about him, but it was one of the things he was quietly hoping Sean would be able to help with. Until then, he’d just have to suck it up.

He inhaled slowly, steeling himself for the contact before sliding his hand forward and touching his fingers to Vincent’s palm. He didn’t want to touch him more than necessary. He closed his eyes, concentrating. Under Gabriel he had learned a very light touch, very difficult to detect. Granted, he’d been at ease training with his mentor. This was a little different, and as such his touch wasn’t as light or sure. He simply sifted through mundane thoughts from the day, and settled on simply trying to tweak the memory of what his trainer had for breakfast. Lame, yes, and hardly indicative of what he could do, but it was easy. Once he was done, he pulled his hand back like he’d been burned and pressed it against his leg. “There. You got your demonstration. What’d you think?” He was going to be good, because he really wanted to ask a question that he knew would gain disapproval from Sean. But if it was possible... maybe it would help him. A little.

[Vincent Meian]

Of course the file wasn't important. It didn't contain the right information, and the notes that it did contain were largely biases masquerading as fact. Given that Vincent was not privy to Sean's therapy notes (nor would he want them), there was little he could do to see the point of view of others who wished to help this boy through his schooling. He would simply have to decide on his own. Thankfully, thinking for himself was something the ex-soldier was rather adept at.

The annoyance in Jesse's tone was clear, but the trainer did not look away. Somewhere in his mind, he was amused by that thought - he was often a taciturn person in his own language, so perhaps speaking in another was forcing him to word this more carefully? He was speaking with people more than usual, especially students... but rarely was he told that he talked too much. Still, he maintained silence until his student finished his satirical statements, and waited an extra moment before replying.

"I do not find your record impressive, however if you wish to move on, we will." At least there was progress of some sort in that regard.

Vincent had expected Jesse to dislike him, and after their brief discussion to certainly be wary of him. However, the older man hand not expected just a stark reaction to a simple gesture. The flinch backwards had been more than obvious enough, and the Japanese man quirked an eyebrow in questioning at the motion; both to express concern and to file the curious information away for later analysis. It was rather odd, but from the way Jesse had responded... it was almost as if he was afraid of being hit.

No, not almost - Vincent had definitely seen that reaction before. Absolutely. What was causing this reaction? There was no mention of physical abuse in his file (at least, not the training file) - did that explain his mistrust as well? Perhaps, but it was circumstantial evidence at best. He would simply have to find out from the boy. Later.

Despite the inherent reflexes associated, the tall man did not close his fingers as the blonde touched his palm. It took a minor effort of will, but he relaxed his hand and simply watched Jesse's face as he concentrated. Considering that Vincent's own powers were not mental in origin and that he had little in the way of mental barriers, the affecting of his memories should have gone unnoticed. They largely did, to be honest. The boy did have a light touch. However, there was a feeling of reliving the day's events very minutely - like when he thought idly about what he was going to cook for dinner that night while reading files. It wasn't obvious, but it also wasn't expected.

When the teen jerked away, his trainer calmly closed his hand and thought back over the day and the vague sensations he'd felt. He knew something had been changed in his recent past, but he couldn't quite determine what. He remembered the last two training sessions very well, and those were documented in his files... he had brought the bike to school today so that he could pick up some supplies on the way home, and that hadn't changed... he'd gone through his morning routine without-

Wait, his morning? Why did he remember making lunch, setting aside the leftovers, and having cereal instead?

"You are quite skilled," Vincent conceded, shifting his gaze back to Jesse's face (it had wandered away a bit while he'd been thinking). "Your search felt much like idle thoughts; whomever taught you before knew how move unnoticed. You have learned it well. You required more practice, however - your transition of real and falsified memories was not seamless." It didn't really help that the trainer was Asian in origin and thus had distinctly Asian eating habits and routines - it did make it easier to notice when there were things in his mind that didn't belong.

Inwardly, he was also quite thankful that Jesse had chosen a target so close to the surface and very mundane. It seemed that his trust in the boy was not misplaced. At least, not this time.

[Jesse Adams]

If anyone bothered to ask Jesse, and actually let him read the file himself, he could likely make a number of corrections. No one knew what had really happened away from Hammel’s ever-loving eyes in that compound, and it was likely that only the remaining former operatives, and Dr. Neville, would ever really know. Jesse didn’t want his trainer to be privy to it, because he could only imagine what might happen if he did know the truth.

He was nervous enough around him as it was.

“Good. Move on.” The only times Jesse wasn’t reduced to minimally worded answers now were with Fiona, and with Dr. Neville. Fifi was just easy to talk to, being that she could relate to so much of what he was feeling. And with Dr. Neville? Well, he just didn’t get a choice in that regard. Besides, getting to talk to him had been one of the biggest driving forces bringing him back to the damned school. He’d finally admitted that he needed help in a number of areas. But that did not apply to his trainer. He wasn’t interested in a heart to heart with him.

Just like he wasn’t interested in discussing why he’d flinched away. The look he gave his trainer said as much. He just pushed through it to get to his goal of testing his abilities. Even if Vincent asked, the chances of Jesse actually answering truthfully were close to zero. He hadn’t even really touched much on the subject with Dr. Neville, and he was privately happy about that. The longer he could put it off, the better.

Once he was safely tucked with his back rigid against the chair and his hands back to himself, Jesse allowed himself to breathe slowly. He hadn’t realized he’d been holding his breath for a bit. Out of concentration, of course. Nothing else.

The tiniest smile appeared when he saw the look on his trainer’s face when he pinpointed the change. He’d had to work for it, which was always a good thing. The subtle changes were so much more fun to watch people figure out. Bigger ones were flashier, but much harder to insert. People tended to resist large changes as well, particularly when they had decent mental shields. But he hadn’t felt much resistance from Vincent. Perhaps that was just because he had his guard down in order to test him. Hmm. Now he was curious as to which it was.

“Of course I’m skilled.” This was said with the smallest air of arrogance, his chin tipped up slightly with pride. He’d been so eager to please Gabriel in his training, and had worked himself to the point of exhaustion more than once. “I learned from the best.” He wouldn’t give that notion up without a fight that would likely land him right in Sean’s office, if he was lucky, if not the Headmistress’. “Yeah, well, he died before we could fine tune.” He said it like he didn’t care, but in the back of his mind he felt the smallest twinge of pain as he clamped down on the feelings associated with the dead man. Which reminded him.

“Doesn’t matter. So we’ll practice that. But now I have a question for you.” Something he absolutely couldn’t ask Dr. Neville. “How much do you know about memory manipulation? I mean, have you ever seen anyone able to change their own memories?” Curiosity burned brightly in his eyes. “For... educational purposes. So I know I won’t accidentally erase something one day.” He was well aware that memory loss was a very real side effect of his powers as he grew older, but he didn’t mean that. He meant intentionally going in and blanking out things.

Purely for education purposes, of course.

((Kalli, what he is asking is not possible. <3 Just FYI.))

[Vincent Meian]

The sullen look coming from his student had settled Vincent's curiosity. He didn't want to talk about it; so be it. It was not his place to pry unless it affected training (which, in this case, it did not - Jesse had done as he asked and therefore was doing as he should.) It would be something to watch for in the future, though. If Jesse's powers required him to touch others, flinching away from willing participants would be counterproductive in the long term.

Being that Vincent knew next to nothing about Jesse's former teacher when he was away from the school, he did not argue. If the boy believed him to be the best, he was the best. The casual way the blonde mentioned his death made the soldier wary, however, and he searched the student's face cautiously. Normally, when someone close to a person died, that person felt remorse or even survivor's guilt. Jesse expressed none of this. Either he had healed well from the trauma, or he was burying it very deeply.

Thinking back on the question and what he had researched (and seen in part at Eisai), the trainer leaned back in his chair, crossing one long leg over the other behind the desk as he cupped his chin in his hand thoughtfully. From what he had seen, memory manipulators could only change the memories of others, even if their dreams were often reflective side-effects of those abilities. His research had led to similar conclusions; no trace had been found of any thought manipulator that could alter their own mind. It was too paradoxical, it seemed. "I have not heard nor seen such ability among your power set," he admitted after a long moment. "Therefore, I believe you do not need to worry about such an accident. From what I have read and experienced, the only memory loss you should be expecting is the gradual fading of memories as a side effect."

If Vincent had known that Jesse had such a desire to alter his own memories, he would have counselled him to see Sean immediately and discuss the hazards of doing so very thoroughly. However, the trainer was not psychic in any way, and the boy was very good at hiding things when he wished. So, instead, he simply added, "Dr. Neville would have more knowledge on the subject than I, however. If there is something you believe is missing, I am certain he would be more than happy to help."