Prodigy? [Niko!]

[Chase Campbell]

Chase was waiting.

He’d been told that something very, very rare was happening at the institute. A nine year old meta-human was here. A little weather manipulator. It wasn’t hard to tell they had a young weather manipulator. All you had to do was watch the sky. The weather had been weird lately. Chase had guessed an untrained meta-human was behind it. He just hadn’t realized it was such a young one.

Nine years old. He scratched his head. He’d never trained a student so young. He wasn’t even sure where to start. As far as he knew, the kid had virtually no control over his ability. That wasn’t the tough part. Hell, he’d seen teenagers that were hopeless. In fact, he was still trying to fix some of the things a young pyrokinetic had burned. He shook his head. Some kids never learned. He just hoped this one wouldn’t be as hopeless.

He’d agreed to one on one sessions, to help the boy gain some kind of control over himself. But he still didn’t know where to start. Younger kids tended to freak him out, just a bit. Teenagers, he was good with. Really good. But younger than ten, he wasn’t so sure of himself. But he was going to try. He was the best one for the job, because if he needed to, he could put the boy’s mind into lockdown. Because, really, if he got frustrated and kicked up a tornado, he was pretty sure the administration wanted the institution to stay standing.

He pulled himself up onto his desk, a textbook on his lap. He was brushing up on what was known about weather control. All the abilities affected people differently, but it would help to have a guide, a hint, at what he was dealing with. He wasn’t sure when the kid was coming, but he was hoping it was soon. Waiting made him antsy.

[Nikolai Campbell]

Nikolai was told, upon arrival, that he needed to go to meet some official person- to be introduced to the school, to be given a run through of the rules, and possibly a whole manner of things he was scared of. In fact, he was thinking of things that were entirely implausible. For that reason, he hadn't even bothered to remember the name of the person he'd been told to see. Niko knew he simply was not going to do it unless forced. Even then, he'd probably fight them on it all the way, up until he was shut in the room. Niko was not one to be told what to do, and he was generally opposed to meeting authority figures. It was contrary to logic since he desperately desired authority in his life, yet he remained just as stubborn in his conviction as ever. Or, perhaps it made perfect sense- Niko was notorious for pushing people and their limits, especially early on in a relationship.

It was 'force' that was escorting Nikolai Curtis to the new room he was being told to go to- apparently being nine years old meant that the teachers, and even the teenagers, could boss him around more than they would be to any of the kids that were older than him. So now a teenage boy was reluctantly walking him all the way from the main office to where Chase was waiting when all he wanted to do was to get to the student lounge while his friends were still in there. He was told that Niko wasn't likely to go if he didn't, and he wasn't going to refuse the administration that had asked him to do it, even if it was more of a walk than he wanted to take. For now Niko was silent, seeming to know that he could not fight a boy that was so much taller and stronger than he was. That was one thing that could be said- Niko picked his battles well at times. Not always, oh, no. Just at some times, like now. The teenager didn't seem to appreciate that fact as he opened the door to their destination.

"Here we go, the training rooms."the teenager announced as he gently guided Niko through the doorway. Niko wasn't happy, but he couldn't turn back now. No matter how much he didn't want to be here, as soon as he was in the room, the fight was over. He was not about to make an escape with the person he was supposed to see watching! No way. Not unless the person he was going to see was really mean or scary, then it was okay. Since he didn't know the person, he looked around the room for a moment instead before walking over to Chase at the desk.

"H-hello,"Niko greeted, his tone subdued, before adding,"I'm N-Niko." If anything could make him feel better, it was Chase on his desk. He'd been told many, many times in school that you did not sit on your desks, and now here was a teacher doing it. That was a good start, and in fact, there was a small smile at Niko's lips now because of it.

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[Chase Campbell]

If Niko didn’t like authority figures, Chase had a bit of a chance with him. In most cases, when it came to his students, Chase was laid back. Especially if a) he actually liked the student, and b) they were training one on one. He did a lot to try and help these kids control their abilities, and resorted to a lot of one on one training sessions. It seemed to help, when he could concentrate without a whole room of students giggling and screwing around. He was probably most strict in a class with several teenagers. All it took was one to derail the entire class. He got frustrated easily when the kids were being idiots. And those were the nights he detested mind control. He had better control now, but if he had to use it a lot in one day, he was down from a migraine, and terrible company for his husband.

Waiting for the boy now, Chase had already found a common ground. They would, in all likelihood, share the same side effect. And that was something he knew a lot about. For the most part, between him and James, they’d developed a system that kept the headaches at bay as best they could. It involved pre-emptive medication, lots of water, and a little calm down period when he got off work. (The walk between the institute and Pilot Ridge was usually enough to do it.)

When he heard the voices outside the door, Chase looked up. An older boy, and a tiny little thing. ... Well, tinier than most of the kids he saw. He nodded to the teenager that delivered him, giving a little salute (he knew how much it would have been an effort for them, so he was grateful). So this was the little prodigy. To say the least, he was interested. Very interested. He smiled and slid the textbook off his lap. “Hey there, Niko. I’m Chase” No, he wasn’t very formal with his students. Especially one on one. Hell, half of them either called him Chase, or Kilbourne, depending on their attitudes. He didn’t really care, either way. Hopefully, he’d manage to put the kid at ease. It couldn’t be easy, telling a child he was a meta-human. Hell, he’d been a teenager, and it had freaked him out. But that hadn’t lasted long. “So. You’re the one the school’s been buzzing about. Nice to finally meet you, kiddo.” He was doing his best to put the kid at ease. Never mind the fact that he was a little nervous himself. But he was covering that as best he could.

[Nikolai Campbell]

"H-hi Chase."Niko agreed, his eyes following the textbook. He tilted his head, without thinking about it, to read the writing better. But before he actually read it, he seemed to realize he wasn't the only one in the room, and his eyes flashed back up to Chase- obviously he was a bit more alert than he needed to be.

"Buzzing,"he echoed curiously, then shook his head."N-no. I'm j-just Niko." The idea that people would be paying attention to him, even that they'd know he existed, was not what he wanted to hear. He knew he was one of the youngest kids here, he just didn't know why. It seemed an indication to him that they didn't want him there, anyway. So, if he didn't want to be there and they didn't want him there, why was he? That he couldn't answer.

"Are there o-other kids t-to play w-with?"Niko questioned curiously, but he already knew the answer, even if he was asking. That was most of his reasoning behind adding the next question,"Are you going t-to ask me to imagine that it's r-raining outside? I only c-control my emotions, th-they're not like the real weather. Isn't that wh-why I'm here now? So you can t-tell me to?" Niko's voice had developed an edge- the sound as a person began to edge toward hysteria. He was far from hysterics, even if his voice suggested otherwise. His school counselor had once taught the students, when they were working on not bullying one another, that they should be nice to each other, and that they could control the weather. It was a common pitch, one that was used in many videos that were shown to the kids. He'd taken it so literally that it startled the counselor. He went on to explain that he meant just emotions, that Niko could not really control the weather. That confused Niko, but he believed the counselor anyway. So he was not going to let strangers tell him anything contrary to the thought he already accepted as truth.

"I-if it is, we should do s-something else instead."Niko added, moving closer to the desk before he lifted the text book that Chase had set aside so that he could hold it up, as if offering it to Chase. It was a bit heavier than he was comfortable with, but he was managing it."You c-can read the book. I won't be trouble, I p-promise. It's easier. I can p-play by myself." Though he was still stammering, even he could tell that it was getting a bit better as he grew adamant while trying to convince Chase that he didn't have to be training or being told he had powers or anything like that. The emotion seemed to make him more comfortable, to ensure that he could get his words out without as much of a struggle. When he got really upset, the stammering would be completely gone, not that he was looking forward to it.

[Chase Campbell]

So the kid didn’t have a problem calling him by his first name. That was a step in the right direction. Chase didn’t mind being on a first name basis with his students, provided he liked them. And really, if you actually paid attention, showed a little interest in learning how to control your abilities, chances were he’d like you. Hell, he had students he liked enough to joke around with, and, if time permitted, toss around a football outside on the field. He wasn’t sure exactly what his approach was going to be with Niko, though. Really, he’d just have to take things one step at a time.

“Yeah, kid. Buzzing. You know. Talking. We haven’t had a student as young as you for a long, long time.” He couldn’t actually remember the last time this had happened. That showed how rare it was. Well, either that, or it just proved that Chase had a terrible memory for things like this. Either way, having a student as young as Niko was very, very rare. Even the students that knew of him were interested. Powers just did not tend to manifest so young. “I know. Don’t worry, hey? It’s gonna be okay.” Most teenagers were marginally freaked out by knowing they had abilities beyond that of a normal human. It had to be worse for a kid.

The question made Chase blink. Kids? Well, the institute was full of kids, but he had to correct himself. Teenagers. Not kids. And teenagers tended to view anyone under fourteen or fifteen as annoying. He knew. He’d been there, once. He shrugged a little. “Not your age, unfortunately. The youngest I teach right now is... uh... thirteen.” He’d taught a twelve year old, but they were older now. Obviously. But the second question, and the tone, had him worried. Okay. So the kid wasn’t buying this meta-human business. Not that he blamed him. He might not have either, if his ability had been so obscure. He’d known for a while he could do something, and he’d used it (and abused it, marginally) before coming to Hammel. “Uh... no. That’s really not why you’re here. I’m not here to tell you to imagine it’s sunny, or whatever, because that comes later.” From what he’d studied so far, weather manipulators could, if untrained, directly affect the weather with their moods. And he was certain that was why the skies had been weird lately. “You manipulate the weather with your emotions, right now, anyway. But that’ll change, with training. That’s why you’re here.”

Chase had put the textbook down, because he was much more interested in talking to Niko than learning about abilities. Really, it was sort of useless. The powers never effected people in the same way. It was those key differenced that were driving the scientists on their side completely mental. He gently took it from the boy, only to put it back on the desk. “It’s okay, Niko. Really. I’m here to help you figure out how your ability works. It’s no good pretending that you don’t have one.” He smiled down at the boy, trying to be affectionate. “I have one too, if that makes you feel better.” If the boy was adamant he didn’t have a power, well, this was going to be trickier than Chase had first thought. Small steps, he reminded himself. So many of the teenagers he taught were utterly gung-ho about having abilities. Niko, not so much. But he’d come around. Hopefully.

[Nikolai Campbell]

"I d-don't want people t-talking about me."Niko stated. The news that there weren't people as young as him in the school bothered him more than it explained anything. When Chase told him that it'd be okay, Niko smiled. He didn't want to, but he believed him anyway. Who was he, as just a kid, to argue with an adult?

"Ohh,"was all Niko would say when Chase said that the youngest kid was thirteen. That was still four years his superior, so it didn't help. When Chase seemed unwilling to go for his idea of just reading the book instead of talking about something silly like powers, Niko was not happy. Fortunately Chase reassured him that he wouldn't be told to do something he knew he couldn't- or, at least, that was how he took it. Then Chase went on to say that the power was controlled by his emotions. Niko groaned, closing his eyes tightly. He couldn't even choose when it happened? That was not something he needed to hear. When Chase said it was okay, and especially when Chase used his name, Niko opened his eyes again to look at Chase while he went on speaking. To hear someone was there to help him did make him feel better, he just didn't say so. And when he said Niko shouldn't pretend, Niko's eyes seemed to light up, to reveal a flare of his ever-present temper.

"I'm not pretending,"Niko declared, crossing his arms against his chest defiantly, as if he were suddenly fearless. Mere seconds later another emotion took over his expression- a sort of realization, as it were. If Chase was right he didn't want to prove him right by making anything happen just because he was upset. Next, his expression shifted to confusion for an instant. Sure, he was a child, and yes, he was a master at going through emotions quickly. He'd go from crying because his request for a toy was denied, to smiling because he'd won the battle and he had the toy, all without a second thought. At this precise moment, he wasn't done being upset. It seemed to him that he had to be, so to help calm himself down, he decided to reply to Chase- well, not the part about pretending, of course.

"You h-have a power t-too? What c-can you do?"Niko's voice was soft again, nervous, despite his confident outburst. He dropped his arms back to his sides once more to match his current emotion, the confidence and anger gone from his eyes just as quickly as it'd appeared. His fluctuating emotions were not something he was a fan of, but it seemed only to intensify when he developed his power."Do you l-like your power?"Niko added, more as a second-thought rather than something that came to mind immediately. Each time someone told him they had a power, it made him feel a bit more comfortable with the idea, it helped him to feel a bit less isolated. Maybe he was the youngest, but he wasn't the only one being told they were different.

When Niko was being truly honest with himself, he had to admit that he'd known about his ability. It was like knowing he took in air by breathing. At the time he didn't consciously think about it, he could go a very long time without reminding himself, but when he thought about it, he knew he'd done it. He knew he was alive, so he knew he'd breathed. With his power, he didn't always think consciously about changing the weather, but there was a part of him that seemed to accept that when there was a sudden shift in the weather, it usually had to do with him. He seemed to be aware of the process of using his power in some way, a way he couldn't quite verbalize, a way he wanted to deny. He'd known for a while, if not since he got the power, so Chase was not wrong at all. Niko just wasn't ready to tell himself that, let alone Chase.

[Chase Campbell]

“Shh, hey, it’s okay, buddy. It’s not bad. It’s just… well… we just don’t often see kids as young as you with their powers activated. It’s just rare.” How the heck could he explain this to Niko? “Umm… normally, we see abilities come around in kids a few years older. Typically around fourteen, fifteen. So you’re young, yeah, but that’s’ okay. We’ll work with it.” Maybe that would help? Just a bit?

Obviously, Niko wasn’t so thrilled with what was happening. Control was a tricky subject. Hell, he had a fifteen year old that had a fairly good grasp on his abilities, and a seventeen year old that could barely walk six feet before lighting things on fire. Control came down to your base personality, your natural ability to deal with your power, and the work that you put into it. At the groan, Chase quirked a little smile and reached out, giving the kid a gentle pat. “Control doesn’t always come naturally. Especially when you’re young. Trust me. The first time I used my power, I had no idea what I was doing. It scared the hel – heck, out of me.” He had to remember, Niko was young. Ergo, no swearing, however innocent. And then, the little flash of temper. Okay, little kids and tempers were sort of cute. So long as he didn’t devolve into a tantrum. Was he too old for tantrums? Chase didn’t know anything about kids.

“You kinda are, Kiddo.” And it was hard to deny, when the little sulk fit had made the skies outside darken, however momentarily. “Come on, what did you think? That it was just your hard luck that had it raining every time you were upset, or sunny when you were happy? Like it or not, you were influencing the weather. Which is a pretty cool power.” But he had to admit, he was impressed by the child’s control. He’d been cranky, yes, but he’d reined that in. That was half the battle, right there. Learning to control your emotions was one of the more difficult parts of training.

The question made the friendly grin come back, and Chase nodded. “Yep. I do. I can control minds, if I feel like it. And dominate someone, if I have to. Works pretty good when the teenagers are being morons in class. They do that a lot.” He shrugged and then patted the desk. “Don’t worry, I won’t use it on you, unless you give me a good reason. C’mere. You don’t have to stand around. We aren’t doing much today.” The second question made him think. Did he like his power? Well, yes. He nodded. “I do, yeah. It’s useful, especially if we have an out of control teenager, around. I can shut them down pretty fast, until they calm down. And it’s got other perks. If I want something, I can implant that idea into someone’s mind. But I don’t do that very often. I mostly did it to my parents, before I was sent to Hammel.” He chuckled softly. “It’s how I got my first tattoo, when I was fifteen. My parents were pretty mad at me.” He scratched his head, smirking a bit. Of course, then he realized he’d just made a big mistake. He knew a little about Niko’s situation. Orphan, more or less, though he’d had a foster family. He winced.

“Sorry. Um. That was really… stupid of me.” See Niko? Adults make mistakes too. “Look, um… we don’t really have to do anything today. I wanted to meet you, get a feel for your power, get an idea of where to start. It’s important for me to get to know my students. I think you’re going to do well here, Niko. I’ll teach you how to manage your ability. You’ve already got one part down – I saw it. You’re very good at controlling your emotions. That’s impressive in anyone, especially someone as young as you. I promise, half the teenagers in this place need that ability.” He thought about this for a moment. Normally he’d talk to his students, understand what they were like, how best to teach them. Sometimes that involved games out on the field. It all depended on the student, and how much Chase liked them. There was something in Niko he liked already. “Is there anything you want to do? I can go steal a pack of cards to play, or something, if you wanted. Really, we don’t have to do work today.” He flashed a little grin, hoping to win the little boy over.

[Nikolai Campbell]

Niko looked mildly surprised, and perhaps comically amused by the touch. But, to say the least, it got his attention. If Chase had bothered to ask, Niko would have answered that of course kids had tantrums. It was more characteristic of a two year old, but Niko was not your average kid. He seemed a bit less stable than the kids he went to school with, not that anyone seemed to blame him. It wasn't easy growing up in the foster care system, no matter how brave of a face Niko put on. It was all Niko remembered, so he never complained. Still, his emotions, his tantrums, and his personality in general could be attributed to his past.

If one of the hardest parts was emotions, Niko wasn't as prepared as he seemed. It was one thing to be upset with Chase over something he said that Niko didn't agree with, and another to be really upset, to be really focused on something. If he'd cared more, if his anger had a little more fuel, Niko knew he wouldn't be able to just switch emotions. It seemed a bad idea to tell Chase that since Chase seemed somewhat happy. Then again, maybe it'd make Chase even happier to hear he was right. So, with that in mind, Niko spoke.

"I guess you're r-right,"Niko agreed passively.

If there was one thing Chase would likely learn about Niko very quickly, especially after all the talking Chase had just done, it was that Niko did not feel a need to speak nearly that much. Not even close. 'yes' and 'no' were just as alright with him as long explanations. That did not mean he did not like to hear Chase talk, because he rather enjoyed hearing others. In fact, it seemed to relax him, which was made all the more evident by the way he was relaxing after his flare of anger. The relaxation didn't last long. Niko was impressed, but not all that glad to hear that Chase could control him- or, control anyone for that matter. It sort of scared him, if anything. Niko's eyes immediately shifted to Chase's hand when it moved, patting the desk. He waited for Chase to explain, but when he told Niko to 'c'mere', Niko hesitated. He wasn't willing to move closer to Chase, not in that moment. And then Chase talked about a tattoo. Niko's expression shifted to an interested one. Niko decided to move to Chase before he spoke up. So he climbed up onto the desk next to Chase. Once up, he scooted back, as if scared he'd accidentally fall off- which, though it was a small drop, he was in fact scared of.

"Tattoo?"Niko questioned curiously,"Of what? D-did it hurt really bad?" He was not about to get a tattoo anytime soon. Not even close. But he was curious about them, anyway. Niko watched Chase just as alertly as before when he said it was stupid of him. Really, Niko couldn't say it bothered him. The word parents didn't affect him, it was seeing parents, seeing the bond, that got to him.

"It's o-okay,"Niko offered, hoping to make Chase feel better before he listened to Chase again. At the offer that they could, essentially, do something fun, Niko shrugged. He wasn't sure why Chase was willing to just have fun with him, but he wasn't complaining, either. Cards weren't his first choice, he wasn't good at card games particularly, other than the simple 'Slap Jack' and 'Go Fish'. It wasn't like he could pull off a game of Solitaire or Poker or anything. But he wasn't going to say that to Chase.

"We c-can do what you w-want, you don't have to s-steal cards."Niko answered, taking the word 'steal' a bit more literally than Chase had perhaps meant it. It would be nice to have someone paying attention to him for a reason other than the fact that he was nine, regardless as to the activity.

"Chase,"Niko's tone grew suddenly serious as he kept his eyes trained on Chase while speaking - it seemed more important than a game at the moment, though he wasn't saying he suddenly didn't want to play a game, just that he wanted to ask questions first."When you c-control someone's mind, d-does it hurt them? And. . .c-can they stop you if they want to? Does it h-hurt them when you sh-shut them down?" Niko hadn't asked earlier, but he hadn't stopped thinking about it since Chase said it. And, beyond that, he had many other unanswered questions, but he wasn't likely to ask them- or, any more for that matter. Not right away at least. If there was one thing Niko wanted to avoid, it was annoying Chase. Older people didn't usually like questions, he'd learned that the hard way.

[Chase Campbell]

Stability was a tough thing, even without the power factor that went around Hammel. Chase remembered the days before his power had emerged. Kids in general were pretty unstable, teenagers even more so. Add in a mix of abilities that surpassed what a “normal” human could do, and you were in deep, deep trouble. But he wouldn’t blame Niko for being unstable, not in the slightest. The foster system had a tendency to do that. Which reminded him, he needed to ask James if he’d made any headway on the adoption thing. Saving even one kid from that screwed up system would feel good. Really good.

Emotional control, for things like weather manipulation, was important. For Chase, it hadn’t been so crucial. His emotions really didn’t play a role in his ability, which was nice. It was also nice he could more or less switch it on or off. If he wasn’t actively using it, he was no different than a normal human being. That was probably why his ability had gone more or less undetected for a little longer than usual. He hadn’t used it a lot, because it had scared him. But then he’d learned distinct advantages. Like getting his way, all the time, with his parents. But he didn’t ever use it on his husband (unless it was a very specific situation, either when Jamie needed calming down, or... the other is not age appropriate. Sorry, Niko.). The only time he really used it was in class, to get the kids to focus, or if he was called down to another teacher’s room, to put a stop to some misbehaviour. He had no problem sitting in on a class, keeping the troublemaker quiet. But at least Niko was agreeing with him. That made him smile.

Chase liked to talk. It was part of his job. But quiet people didn’t bother him. Sometimes, he liked them more than the talkers. Quiet meant the student was listening, 90% of the time, anyway. If they were listening, they were paying attention, and they would do well. By nature, Chase was a little louder than some adults, and a lot less mature, in some areas. Yes, he was the teacher older students can share dirty jokes with, and talk to on a fairly level playing field. Sometimes that got him in trouble, but he found it was a good way to connect with his students. He caught the hesitation, but really, he was just trying to... bond, for lack of a better term. If he was going to work with the kid, he might as well get to know him a bit. But he was patient, and that was rewarded with Niko climbing up to sit beside him. Oh, sure, if Claude happened to walk in, he’d probably arch an eyebrow, but Chase didn’t really care right now. He was working on building trust.

“Yeah. Tattoo.” He smiled down at the boy. “My first one was a shark. I was fifteen, and used my ability on my parents, got them to sign the form so I could do it.” He shrugged a little. “It hurt, but it was bearable. I got two more, after that. Shark is here,” he patted his right shoulder. Then he pulled up his left shirt sleeve, showing him the music notes. “This was the second.” Then he gestured to his left shoulder. “And I got my husband’s nickname tattooed here. That’s all of them.” Some of this students thought he was a dork for tattooing Jamie’s name, but Chase really didn’t care what they thought. (Of course, he never thought about what he’d just said. Being married to Jamie was just normal for him.)

Despite Niko’s little ‘it’s okay’, Chase still felt bad. He should have known better. Only he would remember to watch his language, but not what he said. And really, playing games was the only way he knew how to bond with his younger students. Sometimes it worked with older ones. He’d spent free periods playing poker with his older students before. He shrugged at Niko’s reply. “I can do whatever I want when I’m at home. What I want to know is what you want to do. And it’s not really stealing. Borrowing, I guess. They’re just in my husband’s office. Well, them, or a couple board games. Scrabble, I think he has. Or we could go outside. It’s up to you.” It really didn’t both him much, whatever they did. They could afford to waste time for today.

But the serious tone brought him right back down to reality. Chase dipped his head, listening carefully to what Niko was asking. It made him frown, slightly. Mostly because he didn’t know what it was like to be under his own influence. He shook his head. “No, it doesn’t hurt. It’s more like, despite wanting to do something, you can’t. I use it on kids that can’t control themselves, mostly. It sort of puts a lock on their mind. I can make them pay attention, or sometimes, just help them figure out how to control their ability better. Someone trained with a mental ability can toss me out of their minds, but they have to be very, very good with their own powers. But it doesn’t hurt, I promise. It’s more like a gentle nudge, most of the time. You know. Keep the students awake, that sort of thing.” Niko was probably bound to have dozens of questions. Chase knew he had, after being tossed into Hammel. He smiled down at him. “Anything else you need to know?” It was probably better to let him get it out of his system before they wasted time.

[Nikolai Campbell]

Niko, while growing up, had openly refused to partake in any adoption. There had been a few potential guardians who would have liked the little blond boy to live with them- he was cute, and he was well behaved, at least around them. He seemed polite enough, and content to play by himself so he wasn’t the type of child who would change their lives completely overnight. There seemed to be little wrong with him- he was not a drug baby, he was just an average kid whose parents had died. And he had his youth going for him for a long time. Everyone wanted a cute little three or four year old. They wanted to give him a good life. He wanted no part of that; he’d hide from them when they came to visit him. No, no, leaving the home was not an option when he was young. When he was a few years older, he would openly say he did not want to go. When forced to go, he ran away from the adopters. And, then, people stopped asking about him. He became the boy who’d spend his life in the system. For all his energy getting himself to that point, when he finally had his way, he found he didn’t want it. By age eight, he wanted a family like the other kids; he wanted to be able to do things- like sports and such, just like other kids. Most of all, he wanted someone to care, as the parents of other kids did. But few people wanted a kid who was nearing his teenage years, anyway. Niko was on the younger side of the scale, but the younger kids went first. Niko had, basically, accepted the fact that he’d always be where he was. And then he got sent to Hammel. Niko figured that now Hammel would be where he would live until eighteen- eighteen was a magic number, even though it meant nine years, which was his whole life all over again in his mind.

As Chase smiled, Niko was content. He knew that Chase would like being told he was right. When Chase went on to talk about his tattoo, Niko listened carefully, only to unintentionally let his expression shift to confusion. Why a shark? He would have asked, but he didn’t dare. Then Chase showed him the musical notes. Niko leaned closer to Chase, reaching over to his arm to touch the ink on Chase’s arm. It felt like skin, even if it was not his skin color. Niko’s expression became thoughtful, considering how this was possible. Then, he suddenly remembered where he was and who he was with. He pulled his hand back quickly.

“S-sorry,”Niko murmured softly. It was now that Niko responded to Chase saying he had a husband. Niko was no expert on relationships or on marriages, but he didn’t know why Chase would have a husband. Did he say it by accident? Niko had no objection to it, it just wasn’t traditional, it wasn’t something he knew existed.

“You’re m-married?”Niko questioned, rather than addressing the fact that he implied that it was a male. The fact that Chase was married in general didn’t bother Niko, either. Not really. There didn’t seem a reason for it to bother him.

Niko had expected Chase to just choose something. When he didn’t, Niko decided that he was going to chose something. He did notice that Chase said ‘husband’ again, so it wasn’t likely a mistake, but that was the extent of his interest on it. His mind was focused on the games- the idea of Scrabble was not one Niko was fond of. He couldn’t really play Scrabble well, he didn’t know many words, and even if he did, he wouldn’t be able to keep up with Chase. A card game would be much more enjoyable than that. Then Chase said they could go outside which was that was probably the best option. Niko loved being outside, he loved active games much more than sitting still. Only, adults didn’t like running around nearly as much. Niko didn’t want to make Chase do it, he wanted Chase to have fun, too. So Niko didn’t jump on the idea of an outside game. Instead, he took a moment to think it through while listening to Chase as he answered his question.

Chase’s answer posed more question than it answered. So, it didn’t hurt. That was good. But it was like a nudge? And only people with mental abilities could stop it? Niko wasn’t even aware that there were mental abilities in the first place. Niko wanted to leave the thoughts alone, content with the idea that he was not going to make Chase use his power on him. That seemed like a good goal.

“No,” Niko answered simply when Chase asked if he had any more questions. He did, just not questions that needed answers. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to get off the desk, to move away from Chase, or if he wanted to stay there as long as he could. Niko did decide to get off the desk. Once off, he turned to face Chase, finally ready to answer his question of what he wanted to do for fun.

“ I don’t want to p-play cards or still games. But . . . I like catch. Or,”Niko smiled, suddenly seeming to remember that they could play the games he played at school. His voice grew suddenly more enthusiastic. ”’Stop’. We play that at school. You have to throw a tennis ball at the wall, and then catch it- you can’t drop it, or else you have to run to the wall before another person gets it and throws the ball at the wall. Or we play five hundred, but we can't play that without more people. Or we play Tomato, where you have to make the other person laugh with silly questions- the person that's it has to answer everything by only saying tomato. They're out if they laugh and the person that asked the question is then it. And we sometimes play,'Baby if you love me, smile,'. You have to say 'Baby, I love you but I just can't smile'- without smiling. If you get the other person to smile, you're it, and then they tell you, 'Baby, if you love me, smile,' and it's your turn to say it without smiling. 'Or Heads Up, Seven Up', but we can't play that without more people, either . . . That's an inside game."

Niko opted out of sports, generally, because he didn’t like to be competitive. He was competitive in nature, just not about everything, and sports were among the many things he just didn’t care enough about. He enjoyed them a lot, just not in a serious way. He didn’t like getting hurt in the pursuit of winning, at least, and he wasn’t aggressive. And he couldn’t play all the sports because of his age and size- basketball wasn’t his sport, and football would just as soon get him hurt. Plus, they wouldn’t be a lot of fun with just two people. But for the record, Niko loved baseball, so that was what he was interested in. Except, he didn’t have a mit, not here. So catch wouldn’t be as much fun with a baseball. As for ‘still’ games, he just meant games where he had to be still, not necessarily that the game was still. If Niko could do anything, it would have been to create something. Though it was often thought of a more ‘girl’-ish pursuit, feeling competent while cooking was enjoyable. Making cakes, cookies, or anything else for that matter, was a gratifying activity. He also enjoyed solitary things- riding his bike, playing on a scooter, toying with a musical instrument, or even video games and television appealed to him when he was entertaining himself. And building something ‘scientific’ was fun, too. But none of those activities were one of his options, so he decided to settle on something he’d be playing if he was at his old school.

[Chase Campbell]

On the opposite side of the adoption deal, Chase was finding out how much of a headache the process was. He was glad that James was looking at the paperwork aspect of it. Chase just wanted it all over and done with. Of course, then he’d have to deal with the parenting thing, and though James had said he knew he was going to be a good parent, he still wasn’t so sure. The whole thing was going to be complex, he knew that. There was a lot of paperwork, and hell, then they had to go and meet kids. Chase had jokingly referred to it as being akin to adopting a pet. That had earned him a look, and he’d promptly shut up. All he wanted was for the time to come where he could start learning the stuff a parent needed to know. Like when to set bedtime, and how old was too old for watching cartoons, how rough could he play? He was rough with his students, but they were seventeen, eighteen. Not so easy to break.

Why a shark? Because it had been the coolest possible thing to a fifteen year old. The blonde didn’t mind as Niko leaned over and touched the inked skin. He’d done the same, for a long time. Once it was healed, it felt no different to the skin around it. He gave a little chuckle at Niko’s expression. “I think it was Shark Week on Discovery Channel, or something. I thought having a shark would be pretty cool.” Having Niko pull back so fast wasn’t surprising, but Chase took it in stride. “They’re kind of neat, aren’t they? And it’s okay. You’re not going to get in trouble for that.” Or anything, really. Chase had the sinking feeling this would be a student that he’d let slide on just about anything.

The question as to marriage made him nod. “Yep. I am. My husband actually works here. He’s the head of the recruiting department. He’s in charge of finding you guys.” Well, he was pretty sure that was what James did. Half the time he’d walk by, and James would be involved in a game of Scrabble, or cards with one of his team members. It just made Chase smile.

He honestly didn’t mean to confuse Niko, but it was hard to explain when he didn’t know how his ability worked on himself, let alone other people. All he knew was how to control it, how to turn it on and off. And that was what he was hoping to teach Niko. Weather manipulation was a funny one. It could be involuntary, changing with moods, or voluntary. Emotional control would be the first key. Then they could work on voluntary control. But that was for another day. Today was all about getting Niko used to the school, used to his teacher, and calm about being a meta-human. Scary news for anyone, but especially for a child.

He watched Niko slid back down off the desk, but at least he turned to face him. The trainer listened careful, smiling at his newfound enthusiasm. That was what he wanted to see. A bright, bubbly, happy kid. Of course he liked outdoor games. He was child. Some of the games Niko mentioned, he knew. He’d played them in his youth (which was, in his opinion, much too long ago). Most of the silly games worked much better with more people, like Baby If You Love Me. But Stop, that could be good. Or he had an old, beat up football shoved into his desk. That could work, too. Maybe. “How about we do this, kiddo? I’ve got a tennis ball and a football in my desk. ... Don’t ask where the tennis ball came from, or why it’s pink.” In actual fact, he’d taken it off a student, who had found it funny to use telekinesis to float it around the room, and drop it on their classmates. He hadn’t gotten around to giving it back. “But we can go out, and play for a while. Until my next class, anyway.” He glanced at the clock. “That gives us... about an hour to play. Does that sound okay?”

Chase was competitive. Over anything. And everything. Especially with his students, if they were out wasting time on a Friday afternoon. He’d never played sports in school beyond mandatory gym, but he liked the rougher games. Tackle football was always fun. He’d never had a huge interest in sports that didn’t involve getting jumped on and squashed into the grass. Of course, he knew how to play gentle, but it was much more fun to go into full out tackle mode when he could. The fact that Niko could bake was nice. Chase was a natural disaster in the kitchen. It seemed like there wasn’t a single time he’d been in the kitchen without a) injuring himself, or b) messing something up. It was inevitable. If he was in the kitchen, unless he was just making coffee, he was going to be kicked out. He got the feeling James would like Niko, too. The kid was polite, and he was cute. Even Chase had to admit that. He was adorable. He slid off the desk and went around to the drawers, pulling out the bright pink tennis ball, and the scarred up football. He gently tossed the tennis ball to Niko. “Ready to go play?” He was starting to think, now. Orphan. Niko was an orphan. ... And James might like him... once they were outside, he might have to text James, to see what he thought about this. But he wouldn’t tell Niko. James had to be on board first. At least meeting the kid couldn’t hurt, right?

[Nikolai Campbell]

Oddly enough, Niko was scared of being someone's kid as Chase was scared of having a kid. What if he upset his parents? It wasn't that Niko hadn't had long lasting relationships- he had. But he could always walk away from one relationship, from one person he'd upset, and talk to one of at least three others, so there was a definite advantage to having more people around. What if it was just him and parents? A lot of the time the people who wanted to adopt him had no kids. He would have been their first. He didn't want to be, either. And rules were never a good topic with Niko. He didn't like them because he felt he should be able to choose what he did and didn't do. He hated silly rules that were only rules so that kids would act a certain way. Niko needed to be trusted enough to do what was expected, or it shouldn't be expected at all. Bedtimes, or implementing routine at all was a dangerous game, too. It was a game of wills that Niko wasn't prepared to lose. That was why the teachers he liked tended to know that he couldn't just lose, that he needed a way to come to a compromise. Losing or being forced would only serve to aggravate him. And yet, with trusting a person, he seemed to abandon the fight, as though with trust came a deeper respect; a respect that gave Niko a reason to obey without question.

"Shark week,"Niko echoed, mostly because he had no intention of replying to what Chase said at that particular moment, but he wanted to prove he was listening. He did add something more related to the tattoos shortly after he repeated what Chase said,"If you h-had to get a tattoo n-now, what would it b-be?"

"Yeahh,"Niko agreed when he said they were pretty neat. To the second part, about him not getting in trouble for that, Niko had no intention of replying so he looked away, at least for a moment. Getting in trouble wasn't something Niko was scared of when others were around, it was this one-on-one encounter that was scary. Because though Niko didn't know why, he'd observed that teachers were nicer to you when there were other people watching. Beyond that, the idea of punishment in the unfamiliar place was scary. He couldn't just avoid school when he knew his teacher was going to yell at him the next day. His attention went back to Chase only when he spoke.

"He's the r-reason I'm here?"Niko questioned. He didn't sound angry- if anything he was curious. If there was someone that made him come here, maybe they would be able to let him go home if he asked them, or maybe they could explain why he was here even though he was the only kid. Regardless as to if the person knew Chase or not, it was nice to know someone was in control of bringing him to the school and of, hopefully, sending him home. Being sent home seemed the ultimate goal to Niko, at least, in theory. The first day he arrived, he'd said it several times. The second day, he'd said it a bit less. The third day, he didn't bother, and by now he was still thinking it, but he didn't say it because he wasn't ready for them to take him seriously. The school was growing on him, gradually, but all the same. He didn't want more change in his life, he would be more comfortable adapting to what was currently taking place. It was the safest option, and besides, Niko had to admit that there were good points to being at Hammel to go along with the bad. In a moment like this the good was very easy to see.

"Yes,"Niko agreed as he caught the tennis ball that was tossed to him. He seeming happy as ever to have the tennis ball, as though Chase had just made his day. The fact that it was pink? It didn't matter. He wasn't against the color pink at this point in his life- pink didn't appeal to him, but it was certainly not against any rules or ideas he had, it was just a color. If he wanted to wear pink, he would do it, and no one would convince him that he shouldn't. But yes, pink was a girl color in general, even Niko knew that. And he also knew that a tennis ball was a tennis ball either way.

If Chase was looking forward to Niko showing that much energy all the time, he'd be sorely disappointed. Niko was likely to be just as quiet as ever when they met again. Niko was energetic and very loud when in class with people he considered close friends- he had countless notes from his teachers reprimanding that behavior. Yet Niko was not quick with his affections or his trust. He had gone a very long time before getting used to anyone at his school because he knew enough people at the home he lived in to keep him happy. Being at Hammel was entirely new ground- he couldn't be suspicious of everyone because he needed someone to turn to. Which may have explained why he was warming up to Chase, why he felt it was okay to trust him despite the short time he'd known him. He had to put his faith in someone, and Chase happened to be one of the first people Niko met. But Chase had the right idea on how to make a good impression, to gain his trust quickly- Niko had all the reason in the world to be happy and energetic when outdoors.

"Chase,"Niko questioned, his voice remaining as confident as when he'd gotten excited, even as it grew soft again. "What sport do you like best?" He was quite happy with the idea of leaving the room, but he was set on walking with Chase, on keeping Chase's pace, If it hadn't been for that decision he probably would have rushed to the door in response to the excitement. What he couldn't keep himself from doing was smiling. When it came down to it, Nikolai was very easy to please. And as long as one was willing to humor him, he had no problem staying happy. Now was no exception. It did more than just give him a good attitude. In fact, his sunny disposition was bound to influence the weather, making it a perfect day to spend outside.

[Chase Campbell]

Chase’s fear stemmed from the unknown. He’d never pictured himself as a father. Hell, if he was honest, he’d never pictured himself as a married man, either. But he was married. And they were looking into adoption. It was different with James’ daughter, Ginny. She was older, almost eighteen. And he didn’t have to hound her for homework, or set curfews, or ground her when she broke the rules. He didn’t really have to do much, beyond get along with her. But this was so different. And he was scared of screwing up. Scared of screwing the kid up. James had promised him he’d be a good father. He was loyal, he was loving, and he was protective. All good things in a father, apparently. He was just never sure what he was allowed to do. Like at one of James’ insane family reunions. There were kids all over the place, and if Chase was put in charge of supervising, he never knew if he was allowed to yell at them for fighting, or comfort one if it was hurt. It was just weird, the whole thing. He’d never had siblings, just cousins, and he wasn’t close enough to them to know what it was like to be surrounded by small kids. Needless to say, he was freaking out a little again. He was getting good at that.

The question Niko posed was honestly not something Chase had thought about recently. He shrugged. “I dunno. I hadn’t really thought about it. The last one I got was sort of spur of the moment, with James’ name. But right this second? ... Probably something dumb, like my favourite football team’s logo, or maybe Milo’s paw print.” Pause. Rewind. “Sorry. Milo’s our cat.” There we go. Much better.

The only reason Chase was a little tougher in his classes with more than one student was simple. More teenagers crammed into a room, the easier it was for them to be distracted, or disruptive. And he had to be a little tougher then, to get them to focus. One on one, unless you were hopeless, (*cough*Sam*cough*) he was pretty laid back and easy going. If you were willing to put in the effort, he was willing to relax. End of story.

Was James the sole reason that Niko was there? Well, no. Chase shook his head. “Not really. He’s involved in the process, but... y’know... okay, I have no idea if it’s his fault or not. But if it makes you feel better, we can blame him, okay?” Unfortunately for Niko, there would be no going home. Once you were at Hammel, you were there until you were trained. That was how it had worked for god knows how many years. Niko was here for the long haul.

He grinned as Niko caught the little ball. “All right.” Really, he didn’t care about the color. It was a tennis ball. Good for lobbing at rowdy teenagers before he resorted to mind control. And right now, it was handy. That was the important part. If it was handy, they could play with it. And that suited him just fine. So what if he didn’t exactly know the rules to the tennis ball and the wall game. He’d catch on. Eventually. Until then, he was fine with Niko kicking his butt. It wasn’t like he didn’t get that treatment enough at home. There was a reason he’d more or less given up on Scrabble with James. It was impossible to win. Even if he got a dictionary.

As they headed out of the classroom, Chase made sure to walk a little slower, for Niko’s sake. He remembered trying hopelessly to catch up to his father at Niko’s age, and younger. It had never seemed fair that adults got longer legs. So, keeping his pace in check, he headed out down the hall with Niko at his side. “Sports? Football, hands down. Anything that involves tackling, roughhousing, that kind of thing. But football, mostly.” He chuckled softly. “Drives James nuts at home, if I get to the remote first. Because I’ll watch it all day, if he lets me.” Compromise existed in their house. Of course it did. It just didn’t often go into effect when it came to the television. “What about you, Niko?” Young boys liked sports still, right?

As soon as they were outside, Chase glanced up. The sun was going full tilt, and it felt great. He kept the football tucked under one arm, and trailed over to a wall that looked like it might suit their needs. “’Kay, kiddo. Tell me the rules again? And go easy. Old dog, new tricks, kinda tricky.” He didn’t often make fun of his age (he was of the opinion he was going to stay as far away from forty as he possibly could), but it felt sort of appropriate now. Anything, to build that essential trust with Niko. And once he had a chance, he’d be texting Jamie.

[Nikolai Campbell]

"So you like cats?"Niko's words were more of an observation, but he posed it as a question to get confirmation. Just because someone had a cat did not mean they liked cats. Still, if Chase said he'd get it's tattoo, it was a safe bet that he didn't hate the creature or anything. Or, at least Niko thought so."Do you like other animals or just cats and sharks?"

Niko may have been a child who avoided getting hurt, be it by mistake or otherwise, but Chase still had the right idea. Sometimes getting hurt was outweighed by the fun, and Niko still enjoyed starting fights with the older teens to get them to wrestle with him. It was playful wrestling and it rarely resulted in any major injuries. Or, well . . . Most of the time it was playful wrestling. He did enjoy physical contact, he did enjoy being close to people he cared about. Wrestling was a fun way to do that. Sure, he was nine, and yes, Chase was right in the assumption that he was a bit more fragile than the older kids. Niko, if given the option to wrestle Chase, would have ignored all that. Then again, wrestling Chase was still a scary idea for Niko. He was set on keeping the touching to a minimum. A very, very strict minimum. Touching bridged a gap between liking and disliking a person. If he trusted them enough to get in touching distance, he had to trust them in other ways, too, because physical contact was one of the last bridges one could cross with Niko.

Chase's words regarding James being the reason Niko was there made Niko pause and stare, very silently, at Chase as though he'd just suggested the craziest thing in the world. If Chase didn't know if it was someone's fault, why would Niko blame them? The idea that blaming someone really wasn't that serious, or that Niko could joke about it, was not a nine year old's thought process in the least. No, blame was bad, it'd get people in trouble. And beyond that, he didn't understand how James could have not done it, yet been involved in the 'process' like Chase said. To Niko, he either did or didn't do it, and it was sounding like he didn't. And as long as he wasn't the specific recruiter that had arrived at Niko's house and arranged for him to travel to Vermont, Niko was pretty alright with them.

"I'm not going to blame him if he didn't do it. That'd be mean."Niko announced, his expression returning to some level of normal- he was still excited, despite his sudden objection to Chase.

"Not tv,"Niko immediately stated. Obviously television was not a sport, but he didn't like watching sports on television, either. Television was typically boring, he'd rather be moving around than sitting in front of a television screen. The only time television was okay was when he was sick or when he was sleepy, and really, he'd hardly ever gotten to choose the channel during either of those times so if he did get to watch television, chances were he would have no idea what show to be watching. There were just too many people and too many things to do for him to want to sit still. He'd let the other kids get all excited over American Idol, or because some cartoon character made them laugh."I like baseball. I used to play on the team, but the coach wasn't nice. And, I found out he doesn't like the rain or the lightning as much as I do. So now I don't play for him, and I'm here instead." Niko treated his ability and the times he knew that he used it like a well-kept secret. In fact, if he didn't have to, typically he wouldn't bring it up. This was different. Their whole relationship, at this point, came down to his ability in Niko's mind. This man was here because he had an ability in the first place, no matter how nice he was and no matter what they were doing right now. So by parting with the information relating to it, he was trying to be cooperative, perhaps even helpful to Chase, even if he wasn't willing to tell everyone. If Chase was willing to give him what he wanted- which was to have fun outside, Niko was going to do the same. On the other hand, Niko was not about to talk about his family with Chase, or any other personal matters at that moment. Chase had absolutely nothing to do with his other 'secrets'. If Chase specifically asked about something connected to a guarded topic, a topic he wasn't willing to talk about, Niko would answer with the bare minimum of what was expected. He wouldn't lie in most cases. When it came down to it, Niko had no serious qualms with lying, he just didn't do it if he didn't have to. If there was nothing to gain from a lie, he didn't need to offer one.

Niko was set on ignoring the weather. He purposely kept his gaze down, even becoming suddenly fixated on the ball in his hand. Partially because of what he'd just admitted to, and partially because he noticed Chase paying attention to it, however briefly. In general the weather was not significant to Niko, even if he did control it. He had insider information- he knew what it was going to look like outside almost the instant he woke up in the mornings if he felt anything strongly. This was mostly a problem when he woke up terrified. The weather was less than pleasant if that happened.

"It's not important. Can we please play catch instead?"Niko offered, going so far as to offer Chase the tennis ball he'd been holding to make his point."You like football, so I'd rather play that. We can play Stop another time. It'll hurt your hands less- Stop is painful." Catch, with the football, was a lot easier than the playground game of 'Stop' even if it was his game of choice normally- well, his choice whenever there wasn't a baseball or dodgeball game on. Really, any of the games were fun when there were more people around. And catch was more 'one on one' anyway. Beyond that, Niko would prefer to do something Chase liked, even if Chase said they were going to do something he liked. In his defense, he did like catch be it football or baseball so it wasn't like he was giving anything up or doing anything he wouldn't enjoy. Now, in one regard, he wasn't being entirely truthful- he really had no intentions of bringing up the 'Stop' game again. If Chase didn't know how to play it, he would just find someone who did. Not that teaching Chase was a bad thing. Actually, it could be said that Niko was a pretty good teacher himself. Far from the best, and his mistrust and stuttering around strangers would keep him from really being able to do it professionally, but skill-wise he understood how to convey his message and how to put things into terms that other people would understand. Most of the time at least. To be clear, there was more to teaching than the act of teaching, and Niko was still too young to be able to quiet a room, to have control, or even to conduct a class for a day. It took a lot of effort that Niko couldn't have known existed.

When all was said and done, Niko was very good at speaking in public, surprisingly enough. He just needed a reason to do it, such as an important or interesting topic, and a venue. That was precisely the reason that he was part of a play in school, and why he always seemed to get graded higher than his paper deserved whenever it was an oral report. Nikolai had the confidence if you knew how to get it out of him. He had the charisma tucked away. Niko didn't force himself to be that charismatic all the time because he didn't want the attention, he didn't want to be that happy, that openly committed to what he was saying. No, he would keep those strong emotions to himself and to his close friends whenever possible. Kids got teased when they cared too much; Niko knew first hand.

[Chase Campbell]

“Yeah, I do. ... Though Milo wasn’t exactly planned. It was more of a spur of the moment thing. A friend of mine said they had kittens that needed homes, and... I brought Milo home.” He chuckled softly at the memory. Taking Milo to meet Jamie for the first time was honestly one of his favourite memories of all time. Of course, Milo wasn’t a kitten anymore. Milo was grown up now, but just as loving and playful as he’d been as a kitten. He shrugged a little at the question. “I like most animals. Sharks were more of a teenage obsession, something I kind of regret now. I mean, that was... a long time ago.” Too many years for him to want to mention. “I like cats, mostly. But most animals are pretty cool. What about you? Do you have a favourite?” He was still focused on learning all he could about Niko. Anything could help him in teaching him.

Wrestling, or playing a rough game of tackle football was a good way to get his students to relax, Chase found. Or, it was a good way to end a tough class. Some of his students tried, he knew that. They worked hard, and sometimes, their abilities seemed just beyond control. Those were the cases he liked to work one on one with. And those were the ones he tended to bond with a little more. If they had a tough class, he had no issues taking them out for the last ten minutes and playing with them. It kept him young, or so he claimed. But then again, so did his love of sour candy, and his immaturity levels. He was fully capable of cracking childish jokes with his students, if they were willing to give as good as they got. Though he liked to have a bit of a tougher reputation, he found most of his students actually liked him, once they worked with him.

The way Niko was staring at Chase was making the blonde a little uneasy. Was suggesting that they blame James, as a joke, really such a bad thing? Of course, he saw it from an adult perspective. He was it from a husband’s perspective. Where he had a tendency to blame James for things as a joke. He never meant it in a malicious way. But to Niko, of course it would sound bad. This was where Chase was on shaky ground with kids. He wasn’t sure what he could and couldn’t say that would go over well. Apparently, he’d just stumbled with communication. Oops. At least James hadn’t been the recruiter that would have collected Niko. Except in very rare cases, James was based at home, now. It was his lackeys (that was what Chase liked to call them, anyway) that went out to talk to the families. He shook his head and smiled. “No, no, I was kidding, Niko. Playing. In any case, he would have been the one to write the letter to you, and he would have sent one of his recruiters to get you. He doesn’t go himself. Not anymore.” So it wasn’t completely James’ fault.

“... I meant I play it, too, Kiddo. It’s more fun to play than it is to watch.” Well, sometimes. Sometimes, Chase would be calling plays, and muttering about coaches and bad decisions. James usually ignored him while this went on. Just like Chase tried to ignore him when he started arguing with characters on crime dramas, or calling out who was going to be the bad guy five minutes in. Despite that, they loved each other. And they functioned well as a family. But he was glad to hear that Niko liked sports. Chase himself had never been all that fond of baseball. Too much running, not enough tackling. He smiled a little as they walked. “Baseball is okay. I never got to play on a team for anything, so that’s pretty cool. And if your coach wasn’t nice, it’s a good thing you’re here, hey?” Hammel didn’t really have sports teams like conventional schools, but they did all right. They still had gym class. “You’ll be doing baseball in gym, at some point. I think.” He didn’t pay too much attention to the classes outside of his own. “And you’ll find we’re pretty used to weather changes here. We’ve seen weather manipulation before.” Some abilities were more rare than others, and some, almost one of a kind. Weather manipulation was a known power, though. And they’d seen it before. His job now was to help Niko harness that power, and learn to control it. It was going to be okay for the little boy. James would probably tease him for it later, but he was feeling... protective, over the kid. He was so little, and he knew the teenagers were going to be a pain in the ass about it.

Niko’s request surprised him. But, to his credit, he gently took the tennis ball from him when it was offered. “O... kay. If that’s what you want.” He was really fine with whatever. He had to smile, though. The kid was worried. That was just... dammit. Cute. “Hey, I might be old, but I’m not that old. A tennis ball isn’t gonna hurt me.” But Niko wanted to play catch, so that’s what they would do. He dropped the tennis ball onto the ground and untucked the football from his arm. “Okay, kiddo. Here.” He gently handed him the ball. “Just toss it over when you’re ready.” He backed away a few paces, not too far. This way, they could still talk, if Niko wanted to.