Power Swap: That's not right...

[Martin Pratt]

Some days were easier than others. Usually when you wake up on the floor with a ray of sun in your face, that day becomes less easy. The hot water was out in his morning shower, and while that usually would have been fine, all it reminded him of was his time in Kirghistan and his day was ruined further. Lea wasn't there with breakfast for some reason or another, something Martin usually wouldn't have minded either, only he really wanted someone to talk to, to get his mind out of the desert.

After shoveling a bowl of cereal down his pallet, the grumpy man got dressed for work. His motorcycle brought him a moment of calm and driving it to work easily took his mind out of the sandy hell. He parked in his usual spot and he had just tucked his helmet under his arm when a car chugging down the road backfired.

He hated the adrenaline rush. He hated that his heart froze over. He hated that he felt his Kevlar helmet digging into his forehead and his flac digging little dents into his hips. He hated the tightness he felt around his ankles from his boots and the burning sensation on his neck from the desert sun. He hated the numb feeling in his hands from his SAW rapidly firing at his targets. He hated the zing that run in his ears, the bullets whizzing past him and his friends.

And then he was back. He was at Hammel. He was wearing his dark security uniform with his helmet next to his motorcycle. He didn't have a SAW anymore, and he wasn't in Afghanistan. The backfiring car had disappeared and an extremely bitter, and slightly sweaty Martin walked into the building. He clocked in, nodded his head at his superior before he started his rounds of roaming in the hallway. And around lunchtime he took his break in the staff lounge.

He'd brought the making's of a delicious sandwich with him (havin' woke up late he didn't have time to make it himself) and was halfway through cutting into the sub to make his sandwich when the door open and startled him. Martin wouldn't be Martin, if he cut the bread with a regular knife. No, instead he cut with his pocket knife. And being startled with the way his day was going...well. He was jumpy and that knife quickly flipped around in his hand so the blade ran along his arm and he turned to face the person that had broken his concentration in a small crouch, his eyes narrowed dangerously.

Only upon meeting eyes with them did he remember himself and he dropped his head in shame and relaxed his position. "Sorry. Bad day, you know?" He asked with a shrug of his shoulders as he turned back to his sandwich, his face a bit red.

[Xylia Blanchard]

The day had been going great, her students as well as herself had a very interesting debate on modern music against older music. In the end, it started to get pretty heated, causing Xylia to break it up. It made her happy that her students didn't mind having heated debates, some of them even continued to discuss it amongst themselves as the class went on. Yes, it was a choir class, but she also found that over time some kids got tired of doing the same old things over and over again. Doing the best she could, she tried to change it up as much as possible, trying her hardest to keep her students on their toes. The woman would try to show them movies, as well as even give them assignments about music. Lia also believed that one didn't need to have the ability to sing to be in choir. The will to learn and improve was something that she admired in a person as well as someone who was her student.

By the time the bell rang, the woman's stomach was growling quietly. She had slept late that morning and didn't have time to eat breakfast before rushing out the door to school. Lesson plans for the future were on her mind as the night went on, she found that by 3 am, she was completely done with everything that needed to be done for her class. Being a teacher was something that she loved, even if she was still pretty new at it. In college, Xylia did everything that she could to expand her education, as well as her knowledge on music. It was life to the woman, something that without she had no idea where she would be as of this day. Rolling up the sleeves on her long sleeved shirt, she grabbed the keys to her classroom and locked it once outside, heading towards to teachers lounge to eat her lunch she had prepared the night before. Nothing special really, just left over chicken and garlic pasta.

On the way a couple of students had stopped her and asked if she would help them with a little pitch problem they were having. Agreeing she told them to meet her at the end of the day in her room and she would be glad to go over it with the two girls. Xylia continued towards to the staff lounge and as soon as the door shut behind her, the first thing her blue eyes fell to wast he knife in the mans hand who was in front of her. He was crouched down and was looking at her in a way that made her want to run right back out. As soon as he relaxed, she herself relaxed a bit, her back still slightly pressed against the door. He soon explained that he was having a bad day and she smiled softly, nodding her head." Completely understand, we all have those kinds of days." But in her mind she wondered if her days would ever seem so bad that she would pull a knife on a person and shook her head, walking to the fridge to grab the Tupperware container before moving to the microwave to heat it up, glancing over her shoulder to look at the man.

[Martin Pratt]

Feeling embarrassed and ashamed of himself was a drastic overstatement. What if his boss had walked in on him? Among the other security officials, his background was known. You didn't take two tours in a war zone and not be effected. Martin, as a whole, was pretty good at pretending it never happened, but for some reason, he was on edge today and every little thing had him flinching and jumping. Which really wasn't good. It's been four years since he'd been in the service, which was long enough for those memories to fade. He was fine, as long as the sound level in the room was pretty low and there weren't any sudden movements or sounds.

His sister would probably frown at him for acting like he was doing today, and he was frowning at himself as he wiped what crumbs there were off his knife and folded it shut and placed it in its holder on his utility belt (that held a night stick, his walkie talkie, whistle, and his shiny belt buckle). He started placing the food choices he brought from home for today's meal (ham and turkey, provolone cheese squares, pickles and banana peppers). He arranged them all to his liking so they'd all fit as he tried to calm himself down to a proper functioning level. "Yeah." He agreed with brilliance to the woman he'd never met, yet already made himself to look like an ass. Or deranged freak. Either one.

He glanced sideways at her as he folded his foot-long to complete the sandwich making process and caught her glance. The grin that spread across his face was an easy one and he looked back down at his hands. "Haven't seen you around. New here?" He's a great security guard, isn't he? Not knowing all the people on staff. Romanov did a good job of letting him know when a new on showed up, but just the name. He knew a few of the names of the new teachers but he didn't want to assume hers and then have the wrong name in his head. Because it would be embarrassing for him to actually call her by the wrong name for getting the two confused in his head.

He was happy with the way his sandwich turned out and then walked over to the fridge where he had placed his GNC protein shake canteen and he drew it out, shaking it. The metal coil inside the see through container rattled as it bounced off the edges, its purpose was to break up any of the substances inside the shake that congealed. After he was pretty sure it was all good and stirred up again, he took a drink of it. The grape flavor was as strong as it should be so in his hurry this morning, he had actually gotten the mix correctly. He sipped it as he went back over to his little work station.

"I'm Martin." He introduced himself with a little smile, but he was still feeling pretty out of it. Something was just....wrong today. He gestured to his uniform. "'M a security guard." Not that that was obvious, or anything.

[Xylia Blanchard]

Xylia was slightly curious as to what caused the man in the staff room with her to be on edge, but decided it wasn't nice to pry. Especially since she didn't fully know the man. Part of her said screw lunch and just walk out, the man could very well stab you. But she figured it was okay since he most likely worked here, the security guard uniform was a big hint at that. While her food was circling itself in the microwave she grabbed one of the ponytails her tattooed wrist held and wrapped it around her long blonde hair in a messy bun and sighed softly. When he said a simple 'yeah', she turned her head to fully look at him and smile softly, trying her best to come off as understanding. With everything that had happened at the school, it seemed to be causing people to be on edge. That could also one of the reasons.

At his question Lia turned around and looked at him, glancing back at the microwave to check the time she had left, her lower back leaning up against the counter. "Yeah, I'm the new choir teacher. Only been here a couple of days." He was one of the few adults that worked at the school that she had met and was slightly glad for the company. As soon as the microwave went off, Xylia turned around to grab her food, carefully grabbing it on the edges as not to burn herself and placed it on the counter quickly. Turning her attention back to him as she unrolled her silverware from the paper towel she brought, "I take it you're not new." Wanting to make conversation with him, but not fully knowing how, that was the first thing that popped into the womans head, a soft smile playing on her lips.

When he announced that his name was Martin and he was a security guard at the school, a smart ass comment about the uniform he was wearing came to mind, but she pushed it away deciding on a more normal approach. He was already having a bad day and Xylia didn't want to say anything else to possibly make the day worse. That was her type, a 'kinda keep to yourself until you know a little bit more about how the person works so you don't upset them' girl. Cleaning her hands on her pants to make sure they were dry from the slightly wet container she just pulled out, Lia stepped closer and held out her hand, "Xylia or Lia. Whichever you prefer. I answer to both." The teacher even insisted that her students call her Miss Lia. When they addressed her as 'Miss Blanchard', she couldn't help her thoughts that drifted to her mother and family. This was no time to be sad, she was in the presence of what seemed to be a nice man and he wasn't too bad on the eyes either. So what that he went all Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon with a knife? In the end, Martin did put it away.

[Martin Pratt]

It was like remembering you left the refrigerator door open when you were halfway to work. Some little tardy reg flag would just make itself known and you'd be left, a little confused, with a growing feeling that you forgot something important. Or at least, something that cost you a good week's paycheck. Martin felt that little flag now, waving distractingly at the back of his mind. Yet he couldn't pinpoint what it's purpose was, or to what caused the flag to start waving. So he ignored it.

"Oh cool." He responded to her being the new choir teacher. Martin wasn't much of a singer...outside of his house, but he liked the idea of having a choir. "You a returning Hammelite?" Martin asked as he cast a glance at her. She looked to be around the same age as him, and she didn't seem to have an accent, so he was assuming she had went to Hammel....unless of course she wasn't meta. Martin wasn't sure if that was some sort of requirement to work here. It kinda went without saying, right?

Honestly, when the microwave went off, he jumped a little. Yes, he had gotten used to the wirling sound that emitted from the microwave, but the beeping was without warning. He pressed his palm flat against the counter while he rubbed his forehead with the other palm. Calm. He ordered himself. At this rate, he'd set something on fire by accident, something which hadn't happened in a long time. At her question, Martin quickly resumed the position he was in before, with him standing over his sandwich and fidgeting with it. "Uh nope, I've been here about three years. Which pales in comparison to some people here." He was referring to Barnes, Campbell, and Neville who'd been working at the school when he was a student.

He couldn't put it off any longer, he needed to taste his sandwich. He lifted it from the counter (because he knew Campbell certainly kept the counter top clean, or some other member on staff so he wasn't afraid--the floor was probably clean enough to eat off of. Not that he was tempted. It certainly did taste delicious and as she introduced herself, he knew he should have prolonged taking a bite for another moment. However, his mouth was full, so he had to hold up his finger to indicate he needed a moment. It was as he started to chew, his mind put together her face, name, and voice. When he swallowed it was hasty, as if chewing longer would make him forget again. He smacked the table, of course.

"Siren!" He declared, not that she might even remember (because he sure didn't.) And now that he had made the declaration, it had all started coming back. Just as their unfortunate...falling out. He couldn't even remember what had caused it, only that they didn't graduate school on friendly terms. Hopefully the hatchet will stay forgotten, because the last thing he wanted was to argue or create a bad vibe. He was already feeling off. "Oh Jesus! How have you been?" He shot off the question, hopefully to distract her from yelling at him, or something similar to that. He didn't know if he'd be able to keep his cool. But he also wanted to know, really.

Seriously.

[Xylia Blanchard]

Xylia nodded her head at his comment and turned her head to look at him. "Yeah, I came when I was fourteen and stayed till I was nineteen." Hammel became her home away from home... if that's what you wanted to call the other place. Everything in her life was going great until her powers surfaced. Lia had nothing to do with her family anymore it seemed, almost like they didn't exist at times. Her mother still talked to her at times, maybe once every month. It was Alex who didn't approve of what his daughter was and in his mind he came to the conclusion that she was sick. It wasn't sickness that she was, but a meta-human. Something her father couldn't stand.

Turning back to her lunch, she noticed him jump out the corner of her eye. Once again, her mind couldn't help but go back to wondering why he was so on edge. There was a possibility that the sudden noise from the microwave scared him, it happened to her on occasion when she wasn't paying attention. "Oh that's really great." In Xylia's mind, it didn't matter how long a person had been here working, it was the fact that they did work there. She knew once she graduated college that Hammel was the place she wanted to teach. The atmosphere was great and the staff (when she went there) was really nice and helpful.

Swirling some of the pasta on the fork, she blew on it to cool it off before placing it in her mouth and sighed. God, she was hungry. Missing meals was something she only did when her mind was busy and focused on someone else. Giving him a soft smile when he held up his finger to single her to give him a moment, she took the opportunity to take another bite, letting the delicious food melt in her mouth and slide down her throat.

At the sudden sound coming from his hand hitting the counter top and the outburst of a nickname she recieved while she was at the school, Lia nearly choked on her pasta. No one really called her that, except a couple of her friends from the Hammel. Turning her head to get a good look at Martin, his name and face came back into her mind. 'Oh...wow' was the only thought that came to her mind. Martin was one of her really good friends when she was at the school. Her mind tried to go back and remember exactly what it was that caused the two to each go their seperate ways. But for the life of her, it didn't surface. "Wow, Martin? Martin Pratt?" There was a couple of times when she left the school her mind would drift back to him and wonder what he was doing now. "I've been... great. How have you been?" Part of her felt like she should of still tried to keep in contact with her old friend, but wasn't ever sure how he would feel about that. Turns out the fates knew they would meet again and just so happen to work at the same school.

[Martin Pratt]

He felt like his brain was leaking out of his ears. He could hardly believe he hadn't recognized her immediately, he was almost ashamed of it. Like him and Evie, he used to do everything with Xylia. They'd been in most of the same classes, and more often than not, she 'helped' him with his homework (or just let him copy off her). They'd hung out and did silly teenaged things after school. Now that he'd remembered all of it, it was just so hard to believe he'd forgotten about it, initially. His astounded disbelief was clearly read on his face.

Once it clicked with Xylia, and he wasn't the only one, he laughed, though it was a little on the exasperated side. Because geez, it hadn't been that long ago. Ok....maybe it was. More time had passed since he'd last seen her than he'd known her all together, but his years at Hammel were undeniably his best. The first half of his life was spent with his godparents, then he was at Hammel, then he spent four years in hell, and then he was safely back here, gladly. "I've been..." Well it had soured the conversation the last time he'd admitted to an old friend he'd been to war, so he decided to prolong bringing that up. "Busy." He decided it was the middle ground, and easily could be taken for many things. If she asked for a follow up, then of course he'd say what he had been up to, but hopefully not.

"Man, I can hardly believe it. Who knew we'd get back here, eh?" At the time of graduation, Martin hadn't had a clue with what he was going to do with his life, he vaguely remembered that Xylia had had her act together, but he didn't remember if she'd declared she would return to Hammel or not. If she had, he felt bad for forgetting, if not, then he didn't have anything to worry about.