Deep Breaths (VinVin)

[Joelle McIntosh]

After a few months being at Hammel, Joelle had yet to settle with a trainer.  It wasn't that she was a terrible student - just the opposite.  She was always eager to please, and did all the work assigned to her.  She just didn't seem to click well with any so far.  Everyone said it was a power-related thing.  Everyone had their specialties, and her powers just... didn't really fit in anywhere.  She wasn't really psychic, despite her fish communication being more or less like a minor form of very specific telepathy.  And her breathing underwater was physical, but not like those who had super speed or strength.  

As such, for training today she'd been notified by the office in a slight tweak to her schedule.  She was to meet with a new trainer to see how things panned out.  

Well.  Okay then.

Trying her hardest to make a good impression, she'd taken care dressing in the morning, and though she'd tried to pay attention in her classes, her attention had wandered slightly as she wondered what her new trainer was going to be like.  Hopefully he was nice.

Hopefully he knew how to deal with her powers, rather than limping along before transferring her.  

As the bell rang to signal English finishing, she gathered her things and headed down to the training wing.  Hugging her notebook to her chest, she matched the room to the new number on her sheet, and tentatively knocked before peeking inside.  "Mr. Meian?  I'm, umm... Joelle McIntosh.  Your new student?  May I come in?"  

Her mother had always encouraged good manners.  Just because her older brother didn't choose to use them didn't mean she fell into the same camp.

[Vincent Meian]

A new student had appeared on his roster.

It was bound to happen, of course. However, barely a month had passed since Vincent had returned to Hammel - he hadn't expected to be given any new students any time soon. It was odd that he actually received all of his old students back. (At least, the ones that hadn't graduated.) A new student was strange.

What was more strange was her file. Students taught by the tall trainer tended to have at least one of three traits: dangerously emotive powers, horrifyingly bad disciplinary records, or foul attitudes beyond simple teenage sulking. As far as he could tell (and he looked), Joelle McIntosh didn't have a single one.

None. At all. Not even skipping class once.

It made him suspicious.

There had to be something. It was pretty well known that Yvette Morgenstern didn't like him much. In fact, she seemed to relish the fact that he could take the most unruly of children and start the process of making them adults and not just children with control. If her usual methods played true, there was something this girl was hiding.

Vincent groaned and shook his head, closing the folder. No; that wasn't a fair start for the poor girl. He needed to relax, focus. She deserved a fair chance just like everyone else.

Calm. Breathe. Read again.

Breathing underwater, fish communication. A trip to the lake should be in order. Ah, but it's been cold recently - we should wait on that until the spring. Aren't there a few aquatic shifters still around? Perhaps we can do a group lesson with a few other students.

The knock and request broke his train of thought, and the veteran looked up, closing the folder once again and setting it aside. "Please," he answered, straightening up. He gave her a slight bow and his expression warmed even if he didn't exactly smile. "Good day to you, McIntosh-san. I am Vincent Meian. Please make yourself comfortable."

His accent flitted around her name oddly - mah-KIN-toosh. It was something Vincent was working on, but it still tripped him up with names.

[Joelle McIntosh]

Joelle had no idea what she was walking into. She’d heard very little about her new trainer over the course of the day. None of her friends really seemed to know much, so she as going in more or less blind. But that wasn’t anything new. She’d switched trainers enough to go with the flow. This time wouldn’t be any different.

The idea that the she was a troublesome student would have baffled her. She tried hard to be a good student, and apart from some griping about math class, or some poor grades in math class itself, she tried hard not to cause trouble to her teachers or fellow students. Her brother, not so much, but they weren’t exactly alike.

At the introduction she smiled and inched her way in, closing the door behind her. A quick look around the office made her more and more curious as to what her new trainer might be like. His greeting automatically brought up thoughts of Koty, which made her smile sweetly. Finding a seat, she set her notebook on her lap and looked up at her new trainer. He was tall, but that was something she was used to. All the boys in her family were tall. And while some might find him intimidating… she saw a sort of calm about him that also reminded her of Koty.

… This could be a problem to focus. Mentally chasing Koty from her mind, she tried to adopt a friendly, if somewhat neutral expression. “Thank you for taking me as a student, Mr. Meian. No one seems to know what to do with me.” Hopefully, he would, but she couldn’t bank on that if history said anything about it.

[Vincent Meian]

Not knowing what she was walking into was probably a good thing. Vincent was well known for... unorthodox training sessions. Not the least of which included dumping a bucket of fake blood on someone. But, that was a very particular circumstance, and not one that he'd care to repeat in the future. Ever.

But, considering that Joelle didn't seem to know the meaning of the words "disruptive", "aggressive", or "insubordinate" (metaphorically, of course - she appeared to have high English marks), it was almost assured that such... measures were not required.

Vincent's office was hardly less spartan than it was before, as it was meant to be a workspace. That said, it still told much about the man that kept it: worn furniture that had likely been owned by his last three predecessors but was clean and polished (of which, there was only a bookcase, desk, and three chairs), books on a variety of subjects, a small laptop on the edge of the desk that looked new yet old (a minor concession to modern times by a practical technophobe), and a battered olive Army jacket draped over the back of the chair behind the desk. That was... pretty much it, though the details were there for the taking if one looked.

Her sweet smile looked very genuine and warm, and it would have easily tempted someone not so restrained into smiling back easily. The trainer, however, just seemed to maintain his implied warmth and open body language, though the lines around his eyes deepened slightly. He took the seat next to her an appropriate distance away so not to crowd her, and rested one ankle on the opposite knee - a position of comfort and an invitation for her to relax. Her friendliness was refreshing, and there was no sign of duplicity in her interested (if occasionally distant) expression.

"A power like yours is difficult to train," he admitted, nodding his head. Automatically, his hand brushed away the bangs that fell into his face, and then the scarred appendage rested on his upended leg with its partner. "If one does not possess your ability, one can rarely know if it being used correctly, or at all. I have an admittedly small number of ideas on how to test this, but for now, tell me in your own words what it is you can do."

This was often very important - the way that a power identifier described things was often very different from how the student experienced them. Some side effects also went unnoticed due to this, and clearing the air from the start helped immensely.

And, given how open Joelle seemed, it looked like the Japanese man would actually get to hear it right up front... rather than explosively at a later date. Or having to puzzle it out for himself.

[Joelle McIntosh]

No, Joelle didn’t like making waves. Especially given her… circumstances. It was easier to go with the program and not make a fuss about everything. She didn’t want to give anyone a headache with her behaviour, especially when it came to training. She understood that it was a difficult power set, and even more so that it was hard to train. Still, she’d try whatever her trainer asked of her.

As her new trainer came around to sit closer to her, she became very, very aware of her posture and made a point of sitting up straighter and dropping her shoulders to try hard to make them look smaller. She was still painfully aware that up close she didn’t always radiate ‘female’, no matter what she did. Hopefully, her trainer’s focus would be less on her, and more on her powers.

She nodded in understanding as he spoke. This wasn’t anything new. “I know. I’m sorry.” She knew it wasn’t really her fault that her powers were awkward to deal with, but she was grateful that Vincent was willing to try.

How to explain… Koty had helped her with that one. She smiled fondly before tucking her hair behind her ear. “Well, the fish communication is the easiest to explain, because I practice a lot.” Another bright smile appeared. “I have a pet Betta. His name is Blip, and he’s really talkative.” Maybe that would prove she was willing to work hard? “It’s… sort of like telepathy. But not really. When I talk to them, and hear them, it’s all in my head.” An almost dopey expression appeared on her face as she thought about it. “I showed a real telepath how it sounds once. It helped him pick his own fish too.” Ash wasn’t often as talkative as Blip, but he had a quiet serenity about him.

Thankfully, Vincent wasn’t a telepath himself, or he might have been bombarded with fond memories of that trip to the pet store, and the subsequent texts and visits and talks with said telepath.

Tucking one ankle behind the other, she shifted in her seat slightly. “The breathing underwater… I can’t really explain it. I don’t know what happens. I just know that I can be under the water and just… breathe.” She didn’t get gills, like apparently some people with that power did. She just… breathed. Jo shrugged helplessly. “I’m sorry I don’t have much more to tell you.”

[Vincent Meian]

Even if they differed on as many things as absolutely possible, at least trainer and student shared one thing: powers that were difficult to train. Not impossible, surely, but it required someone who understood the nature of what was going on on a different level. Vincent refused to turn away students (for the most part), so he had an unusual mixed bag of knowledge when it came to training. Sometimes, it just meant getting a group of students together; other times, it meant prepping himself. And sometimes, it meant getting creative.

The way Joelle shifted around was noticed, but not really recognized for what it was. Many children adjusted their posture when adults were around, so straightening up wasn't really something unusual. Maybe she was trying to impress upon him her attentiveness?

The fond smile made him relax - thank the stars, a person who had good memories with their powers. Her casual interactions with her abilities also gave him hope, as it showed the using her powers wasn't hard. Therefore, it'd mostly be adjusting to them, strengthening their overall levels, and knowing how to not use them. Much easier than anyone gave her credit for, it seemed.

The idea of a "real" telepath piqued the ex-soldier's interest a moment, especially given her obvious enjoyment of thinking about whoever he was. Enjoyment and distraction, he noted briefly. Make sure to keep her on-track.

Once she was done, Vincent nodded to show his understanding. "What side effects do you possess?" he asked, almost casually as if simply continuing a conversation. Which, he was. "When do they trend toward occurring?

"I do not ask to pry," he added, "merely to know how to offer aid in the event that they should they appear." Knowing when a student wanted or needed to keep a secret was a good understanding to have, and it took him many years to curb a natural curiosity toward unearthing whatever was being hidden from him. There were still times where it was needed, such as when the secret could cause harm, but over all, privacy was well respected within range of the trainer.

[Joelle McIntosh]

Keeping her on track might have been easier said than done. She had strong memories of using her power around a certain telepath, and thinking about it made her happy. She was also starting to wonder if she would be allowed to bring Blip to her training sessions, or maybe even Ash, because he was less familiar with her. Blip she practiced with every day. Ash, not so much.

She always liked showing off her pretty fish.

Side effects… the less fun side to her powers. Tilting her head slightly, she considered how to answer. “Well, breathing underwater makes it really hard to breathe when I surface. It’s like I can’t catch my breath. It uuusually lasts for a while. I think it depends how long I’ve been underwater.” She made a small face. “My first trainer said it was pretty common for people with that power to end up with asthma.” That, she wasn’t looking forward to. So much so she was almost starting to want to avoid using it.

“And talking to fish kind of makes it hard to talk properly after a while. It’s not like losing my voice or anything. It’s just like… I can’t.” She loved talking to Blip, but it definitely made interactions with other people a little tricky sometimes.

“I don’t know if there’s much anyone can do for aid.” She liked that phrase. Aid sounded nice. “Not being able to breathe well after being underwater is kind of scary, but it’s okay! I usually just sit quietly until it gets better. And if I can’t talk right after talking to Blip, I just wait. It doesn’t last that long.”

Hopefully, he could work with these.

[Vincent Meian]

While understandable side effects, that didn't make them much easier to manage. Hm.

"There are exercises and techniques that may be able to..." he fought for the word for a moment, "...mitigate the effects on your breathing. I do not believe they will resolve them entirely, though they may improve the overall severity."

As for the speaking issues... well, he'd have to see and hear those first-hand for any real correlation.

"What we will focus on primarily is strengthening your abilities overall, while diminishing the lasting side effects. After some time, you may be able to control whether you will communicate with fish or with humans, however our primary focus with this power should be on your overall range and understanding when communicating with aquatic creatures." He tilted his head slightly, a questioning gesture. "Do you agree?"

With a less polite student, this simply would have been a statement. Joelle seemed much more eager to actually understand her abilities and train, and less inclined towards causing mischief or drama.

Though, there was a question in the back of his mind that came forward as well. Amusingly, it came with a small smile as well. "Would you like to bring Blip with you in the future? It sounds as if you practice often with him. If he makes you more comfortable, I would very much like to meet him."

Who cared if he was a fish? Dogs and cats and birds all had personalities - why not fish?

[Joelle McIntosh]

”Really?” Her expression brightened considerably. “That would be amazing! I know they can’t be totally resolved but anything would help!” She didn’t like to complain, but the shortness of breath she experienced after breathing underwater was always a little scary.

It all sounded perfect to her. Nodding, she smiled. “I do! It sounds like a good plan.” To have any kind of plan was nice, and gave her a bit of hope that she would eventually be able to control her power a lot better than she did now.

Her eyes widened in surprise when her new trainer offered for her to bring Blip to class. “I’d love to! He’s really nice, and he likes people.” At least, the few he’d met so far. He’d met Koty, of course, and Kit. She’d also introduced him to Jeff, who hadn’t seemed all that impressed over him. “I can find out how to transport him safely.” She didn’t want to lug his tank around, nor did she want to put him into a bag filled with water again. She’d have to ask Koty if a small fish bowl would be okay for training purposes. She didn’t want to hurt Blip moving him around. But if her trainer was willing for her to bring him to class, she wanted to find a way to do it.

[Vincent Meian]

Seeing a student brighten during training always melted the tall man's heart a little, and to have this occur at the beginning of his time with them was exceptionally rare. Joelle seemed so happy to have someone to work with on her powers, it was hard to suppress a smile. So, he didn't - a little one flickered over his face, and his amber eyes crinkled. It showed his age, but it didn't really matter.

"Good," he replied. "We will begin with that on Thursday."

Blip sounded like an amusing character, and Vincent nodded in response to her self-imposed homework assignment. Safe transport of her friend was paramount; he wouldn't ask her to bring him in a dangerous fashion any more than he would ask her to carry a family member in the same way. It would be... rude.

"I have another idea, though the weather must be warmer before I consider it seriously." Her teacher pondered briefly before continuing, "Would you be comfortable with a group session at the lake? There are other students with aquatic powers, such as turning into ocean and river animals, and it could benefit all of you greatly to work together. Is this something that interests you?"

[Joelle McIntosh]

So her new trainer did know how to smile! He seemed so serious, like lots of the trainers, but seeing him smile was a good feeling. Maybe this was going to go well after all. She wouldn’t blame him if he ended up passing her along to a new trainer for a fresh set of ideas – it had happened before. But the fact he was already giving her a direction really did give her a real sense of hope.

“Okay!” She opened up her notebook to jot down what to expect on Thursday. This was going to be great!

Between asking Koty and looking online, as well as making a trip to the pet store for any needed supplies to make Blip’s trips to the training room comfortable, she had some work ahead of her, but she didn’t mind. Maybe she could even ask Koty about borrowing Ash for a lesson or two. She wasn’t as familiar with him as she was with Blip, so maybe it would be more challenging.

The next idea gave her pause. Group training? With shifters? Nibbling on her lower lip, she mulled it over. She loved to swim, and practicing underwater in a lake could let her train both abilities at once if there were wild fish around… It would be good for training. And she was willing to do almost anything her trainer asked of her. “Okay.” She nodded. “I can practice with them, when it warms up.”

[Vincent Meian]

Vincent's seriousness was as much a product of his country of origin as his history. That said, he did know how to smile and laugh. He just did so rarely, and though he had recently come to the understanding that controlling his emotions did not provide full control his abilities, it was a decades-long habit that hard to break.

Besides, it was hard for Joelle's excitement not to rub off on him, just a little.

Watching her turn the idea of group training over in her head, the Japanese man studied her expressions. There was an unsure cast over her face, but curiosity as well. A comprehension that this might work, and then a determination threaded with... anxiety, perhaps? Well, teenager were often worried about much, especially when it involved their peers. It likely wouldn't be too much of an issue, especially since she had a bit over six weeks to get used to the idea.

He nodded at the teen girl's agreement. "I will organize an outing with the other trainers," he promised. "In order to minimize the disruption of their schedules, this will need to occur on a weekend. Do you have any long-term commitments for those days?"

He would willingly plan around his student's and coworkers' schedules. To do otherwise would simply be rude.

[Joelle McIntosh]

If she thought about it, she'd realize that Koty, while somewhat more expressive (though that could have been due to being more familiar and closer with him), also often had a degree of seriousness to him. Especially when they'd first met. But it didn't bother her much. Her father was much the same - so much more mellow than her mother. Teachers often had to be more serious and almost stern due to the nature of their students. It was part of why she didn't want to make waves. When there were students like Jeff to deal with, she didn't want to cause more problems for them.

She'd try group training. If it was a disaster, or she felt too... uncomfortable, she would have to attempt to find a way to politely ask if they could perhaps not do it again. But she'd try. Who knew? Maybe it would be fun. Or useful. She'd never know if she refused.

"Okay!" As to his question, she shook her head. "Not on weekends, no. Just dance, but that's on weekdays." She could ask if there was anything coming up to worry about, but she was sure if it was for training her teachers could find a way for it to work. "And before then, I'll find out how to bring Blip to class with me." Surely Koty would have ideas on that, and any excuse to talk to him was a perfectly good one in her mind.

And there went the dopey smile again.

[Vincent Meian]

The comfort of Vincent's students came first in a large variety of circumstances, despite what some students (current and former) would say on the issue. There were boundaries that were pushed in the name of getting them to face and accept what was holding them back, yes; but just outright torturing someone emotionally and socially was not something he did. Nor did he sweep their feelings under the rug. They were carefully considered, and a course of action devised. Joelle would have no worries about his understanding should she decide that such a session was no longer acceptable.

At her response, the trainer picked up the file on the desk and made notes just in case. He also made a note about the dance, and while it wouldn't help with her abilities directly, it might be something they could do to help with her shortness of breath.

He looked up at her repeat of the self-imposed homework assignment, just catching the first signs of the silly grin crossing her face. Now that he was looking closer, the trainer could see something familiar in that expression - affection. Either that was a childhood animal, or thinking of the fish made Joelle think of someone special. The person who gave her the fish, perhaps? Or maybe the person she talked about before, the telepath she helped pick out a fish of his own.

Hm. Well, his student's private lives were none of his business if it didn't cause harm to themselves or others. It was probably just a harmless crush... if a very distracting one. At least it wasn't directed at him this time.

"Good," he stated, closing the folder and lifting an eyebrow at her when he caught the teen's attention again. "For today, we shall perform some breathing exercises, that you may practice them daily until the weather is warm enough for the swimming pool to be viable." Hopefully that would keep her attention for a while.

[Joelle McIntosh]

Joelle didn’t like declining doing things just because she had insecurities. She tried to be as normal as possible, but sometimes that was… difficult. To put it lightly. Group training would be a little daunting, but if she really felt out of place, she’d either suck it up, or politely ask to try something else. But at least she was willing to try.

If he’d asked, Jo would have admitted that, yes, Blip did in fact bring up memories of someone. While Koty hadn’t exactly given her the fish, he’d helped her set up his little fishtopia tank and countless pieces of advice in caring for him. That was enough to tie the two together in her mind.

When she returned her attention to him, the arched eyebrow made her smile with a semi-guilty expression on her face. Whoops. Attention. He needed it. Not Koty. “Okay!” That, she could do. She knew a little about controlling her breathing from years of gymnastics and swimming, and to a degree, dance. Mostly because she had a terrible habit of holding it when she was concentrating on complex steps.