Liquid Sleep (Vincent)

[Faye LaBeau]

For some dumb reason it hadn't occurred to her that teaching kids with abilities would be more difficult than teaching her "normal" kids at her old job. Yes, she was teaching basically the same materials, but keeping these kids attentions was near impossible. How could she compete with telepaths, snow storms, and a kid turning his desk into food. He was hungry is what he said. She found herself tempted to bang her head against the blackboard, but also tempted to laugh. It wasn't funny though, their grades reflected her as an instructor and being new, that reflection meant a lot.  

Once the bell rang Faye took her tight skirted ass straight to the staff lounge, clicking all the way. She needed an idea, she needed coffee! Coffee would help fix all of this. She had been so stressed lately that she'd forgotten to sleep on more than one occasion. She also had an email waiting for her from Dean... who the hell emails? No. Who the hell emails their EX WIFE? She hoped it wasn't anything to do with the divorce. They were officially divorced last month, but then again she had thought they were officially divorced the month before too but the paperwork hadn't been submitted correctly. 

She barged into the teachers lounge making a B-line for the coffee pot, making a face seeing the pathetic remainder from the morning. "Seriously?" She said out loud bringing it to the sink to rinse it out before making a new pot.

While she filled it up with water she looked over her shoulder at the only other occupant at the moment. Vincent. She knew his name only from being introduced to everyone on her first day the month before. He was absorbed in a stack of papers, looking pretty dead pan. "Want me to make you a cup too? Looks like you could use it. Warning though, I don't mess around, I make it strong." She said. This was an attempt of being friendly. 

[Vincent Meian]

Despite his injury almost two weeks ago, the tall trainer had stubbornly refused to be at home for longer than a week and had come back to the school the following Monday on crutches. He was supposed to keep off the leg entirely, but not working grated on him. So, back to work he went, though he was on desk-duty until his leg muscles healed. Fine, since most of his students didn't need an active physical exercise regimen, but still a bit annoying.

After having spent most of last week in his office, though, Vincent decided it was time for a change of scenery. So he packed up his things during the lunch hour, double-checked his training schedule, and managed to maneuver himself and his stack of papers to be filed to the faculty lounge. Settling in on the couch with his right leg stretched out under the coffee table and his other foot keeping his crutch pressed flat against the front of the seat, he moved back into his paperwork, flipping through his own notes and writing reports for Yvette left-handed.

The woman that walked in a short time later was only vaguely known to him, as he didn't really have a head for names, but he recognized her face. She was a teacher of some sort - English, he thought, but he couldn't be sure. The offer for a cup of coffee had made him glance up from the work and nod politely. "Thank you," the Japanese man answered politely. "That is how I drink it regardless."

Cream and sugar in coffee? Please. He may have had a sweet tooth, but Vincent actually liked the taste of coffee. Black was how he took it, and that's how he preferred it. More additions left over for everyone else.

[Faye LaBeau]

"Excellent." she said as she brewed the coffee and then poured him a fresh mug then returned to pour her own. She blew on the hot liquid several times before carefully sipping. She winced. Still too hot. She sighed and looked at the clock, she had 20 minutes before the kids were out of lunch and her next class and boy did she need it. Today the kids were particularly unfocused and she had started new material that was harder to grasp. Her next class would be even tougher, the seniors really had to buckle down on those college essays who hadn't already and she was running out of ideas to get them motivated.

"Sorry, this may be forward but you've been here longer than me... do you ever have trouble keeping the kids focused? I find that they get distracted easier here than at other schools... likely because of their abilities." Definitely because of their abilities. Who wanted to pay attention in class when they can read their classmates bored minds, or animate their pencils into russian dancers? Not her kids that was for sure.

[Vincent Meian]

Taking the mug with an inclined head and a murmur of thanks, the trainer placed it back in its previous place to cool a moment while he scanned over his files again. certain papers needed to be shuffled around, and he would need to change his hard copies with a few edits here and there, but so far things were running smoothly. Aside from a few small training accidents (only one of which belonged to Sam Rixon, which involved an unsuspecting chair), there was little but good news to report. Even Jesse was progressing well, despite the severe lack of trust the boy had in him recently.

The sudden question made him glance up, and Vincent took his cup into his hands to idle with as he thought. Though he hadn't been at Hammel long himself, he had been a trainer for over a decade, so he did have some experience in the matter. "Some are distracted easily due to side-effects," he conceded, thinking about his student Aiden (who had developed ADHD due to his power). "However, it is not always the case. Children will almost always find ways to entertain themselves if they are unmotivated. Perhaps you could find a way to incorporate some of their abilities into your studies, if you are having difficulty keeping them from using powers in the classroom."

Granted, this was coming from a powers trainer, who had his students using their abilities almost every session depending on their control and willingness.

[Faye LaBeau]

Faye didn't really know what Vincent's job was... she probably should know more about her coworkers by now, but it was hard to keep them all straight. Granted, some were easier than others, like Sean, simply because he'd been there when she was a student. The thought made her cringe, God when did she get this old and how did she end up back in her own high school?

His ideas were interesting, it could work but it could also go massively out of hand. "My only worry is that if they can only learn and hold their focus while using their abilities... that it'll keep them from being able to learn and perform jobs without their abilities later... there's still a lot of aversion towards meta humans." She sighed, she'd struggled with it a lot in college. Not that she'd ever admit it to anyone around here. She'd gone from a queen bee to a nobody in a matter of weeks and on top of it she was labeled a freak. College was definitely not her prime.

"However... a meta human take on Romeo and Juliet could be interesting." She pondered aloud. Actually, the themes of the place and the aversion towards meta's in society were things that her students could probably relate to. She smiled "Wow for the first time in a long time I actually think i have an idea that these kids might benefit from." She squealed. She squealed? She quickly took it down a notice, embarrassed, sipping her coffee. What had come over her?

[Vincent Meian]

The likelihood of anyone at this school knowing everyone by their name, face, and job title after only a short time was very very low. Given that their positions at the school were also very different, Vincent wasn't surprised that she didn't know him - he barely kept track of all the other trainers himself, let alone the teaching, administrative, and maintenance staff. A handful, perhaps. All? Certainly not. Either way, he didn't blame her for not knowing him.

"As trainers, our concerns are very similar," he ventured. "However, teaching them to incorporate their abilities and status has helped many students overcome their own prejudices and fears. At least, I have found this to be true. It need not be the curriculum for every class, simply a way to take a distraction and make it more beneficial."

Ah, she must have been an English teacher, especially if teaching Shakespearean classics. The trainer nodded, agreeing with the choice in play as well - something like Othello would be another overt statement (albeit with a darker moral message), though using The Merchant of Venice or Julius Caesar would provide a more subtle touch. Taking a drink of his own coffee as she grew excited, the tall man only offered a slight smile and looked back to his paperwork before answering. "I believe that will help engage them more thoroughly. Shakespeare is a difficult playwright to understand even for a native speaker."

At least when translating to Japanese, all one had to do was shift the language context to Heian era dialects and the understanding clicked through without issue. These poor children had little context whatsoever, given the vast differences between British English and American English.

[Faye LaBeau]

Faye nodded as the man talked, biting into an apple she'd fished out of the fridge. He talked so formally, he sounded like yoda or something and quite frankly that distracted her from the words coming out of his mouth. "Yeah." She added trying to buy time to add to the conversation. 

Ah, she must have been an English teacher, especially if teaching Shakespearean classics. The trainer nodded, agreeing with the choice in play as well - something like Othello would be another overt statement (albeit with a darker moral message), though using The Merchant of Venice or Julius Caesar would provide a more subtle touch. Taking a drink of his own coffee as she grew excited, the tall man only offered a slight smile and looked back to his paperwork before answering. "I believe that will help engage them more thoroughly. Shakespeare is a difficult playwright to understand even for a native speaker."

"Yeah that's for sure... and for some reason especially for high school kids. I swear the moment I graduated Shakespeare all of a sudden became about a billion times clearer." She said not so eloquently, ironic considering her profession. "But I mean... They're kids, they should be getting the opportunity to engage in a variety of mediums in all their subjects." It really was brilliant. Now she just needed to figure out who was head of the drama department and clear it with her supervisor. She had a curriculum after all. 

"Hey... Maybe we can even have some faculty cameo's in the play." She jested with the man across from her. "What do you say? Lord Capulet?" 

[Vincent Meian]

Formality was a bit of a curse when speaking a language other than your native one. Add in that Vincent didn't particularly like contractions and that he always tried to say exactly what he meant, and his speaking pattern went from something fairly normal to almost archaic. It had given him a few problems over the past year, but less so (he believed) than speaking incorrectly or informally might have.

"I would agree," the tall man answered, taking another drink of his coffee before continuing. "As we are exposed to more of the things the world has to offer, we understand more about ourselves."

The offer of being in the play itself, however, made the trainer glance up in surprise, though only the barest traces of it showed. He'd never been much for the theatre arts, as he tended to be too tall for many of the roles that were asked of his classmates. He also was stared at more than enough in high school - adding yet another reason for people to look at him had seemed like a bad idea at the time. "I do not think I have the prerequisite experience for the role," he declined modestly. "However, it may be an interesting change from standard school productions to involve faculty."

[Faye LaBeau]

She wasn't surprised when he shot her down on the offer. She didn't know Vincent, but she could already tell from this brief exchange that he wasn't exactly a showy person. Even in their conversation, he seemed quiet and much more contemplative than anyone else she'd met. 

"That's alright." she said, "Though if you change your mind." Faye chuckled wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. 

She'd have to bring up the idea with her supervisor and trouble shoot it. She wasn't sure how much work it'd entail but she wasn't expecting a broadway performance. She was more so trying to get her kids participate and learn in a way they hadn't considered before. That, and Vermont wasn't exactly an epicenter for the arts. It'd be good to give them a chance.

"Anyway, It was nice meeting you." Faye said as she took a sip of her coffee eyeing the clock. "I've got a class to torture with Shakespeare."

[Vincent Meian]

The suggestion didn't make him smile, but a certain warmth still cast itself over the Japanese man's features, lending a certain acknowledgement to the nod he gave Faye in return. It wouldn't be bad to take part in the play, but he wouldn't want to take such a role from a student if they wanted to take part. It was an important role for Romeo and Juliet - perhaps someone with a better grasp of the English language would be more suitable.

"It was a please to meet you as well..." The trainer faltered a moment, realizing that they hadn't exchanged names yet. While it simply hadn't come up yet, Vincent was terrible with names anyway - he made every effort to at least attempt to link his coworkers' names with their faces. "Please forgive my rudeness - I have not introduced myself. My name is Vincent Meian."