Déjà Vu [Chase]

[Ryne Caliban]

The clock ticked with each passing second. It had been ticking for at least five full minutes now. That is sixty seconds, multiplied by five. For three hundred fucking ticks, the new trainer he was assigned wasn't there. In Evie's book, that just wasn't a good start. He hated these rooms. They always felt smaller than they needed to be. The young blond didn't consider himself claustrophobic, but there just wasn't enough room to run around, not that the classrooms were meant for such a thing anyway. He was just lucky that the classroom was empty. He couldn't imagine how fidgety he would be if it were filled. Evie hopped from one desk to another like stepping stones. If he was going to be waiting, he was going to have some fun doing it. Plus, who doesn't like the age old game "the floor is lava"? There must have been some rule against doing such a thing, but the gray-eyed boy had never been much of one to obey the rules anyway.

Come to think of it, that last part was probably why he had to switch trainers. He just didn't take well to authority, especially when that authority takes the form of a know-it-all bitch. She should have known that the way to get Evie to listen, was not by screaming louder when he didn't. Of course the young summoner could have been at fault too. It wasn't entirely necessary to summon a bucket of cold water above her head, even if she kind of, sort of deserved it. Then again, Evie didn't really need to feel sorry, it was after all, an "accident". He was a boy who was still learning how to control his abilities, and some things can't be helped. He wasn't sure who hated who more. If anything, the hatred was mutual, but at this point it really didn't matter. The only times he would see her again would be when passing through the halls, or something like that. But when those moments come, it can be expected that a look of disdain will cross both of their faces.

Evie smiled as remembered the hell he gave her, all the while playing innocent. Everyone pretty much knew that the young blond was far from it. He was actually surprised they didn't give him detention or something. Then again, he was eighteen and he lived off campus, there really wasn't much they could do. They also couldn't prove that he did anything on purpose. Thirty more ticks passed, and the lava was rising.

notes;; Well, here's my opening post. <<; I hope it's okay.

[Chase Campbell]

For whatever reason, Chase seemed to attract the students that were a little tougher than most. Between him and Jackeroe, they ended up with some of the students others seemed to deem lost causes, or just plain difficult. Granted, he’d recently transferred Samuel Rixon over to Jackeroe, but he was sure that the power scaler could do a bit more with Sam than he could. Especially now. The last thing he’d needed was the stoner to start questioning him. He was sure Vincent would be a pain, when his session rolled around. Chase wasn’t looking forward to it.

Nor was he looking forward to being late to his next session. He still wasn’t used to allowing for more travel time through the hallways. Though he was good on his crutches, it still look longer. And if he was running late, he couldn’t run down the hall like he’d done before the incident. Hopefully, the new student wouldn’t give him too much grief over it. He’d already read the file over the lunch hour, sitting with James in his office. He wasn’t going to be easy, that much he knew for sure. Then again, he’d trained Vincent for almost his entire Hammel career. If he could handle him, he could handle anyone that walked through his door.

As much as he hated his crutches, and the solid bracey-boot thing he’d had the plaster cast replaced with, at least the neck brace was gone. That was the thing he’d hated most about his recovery. His cuts were slowly fading, the bruises long gone. He didn’t look like such a mess anymore. He just needed his leg to heal. The hard way, not the biological manipulating way. He was still more or less repenting, in his own way.

And no, Ryne was not going to get the story of how it happened. As Chase made it into his room (well aware that he was late, thank you), he had the sudden realization that his student was there. On top of the desks.

Well, there was a way to make a first impression. Chase sighed and leaned against his desk. Propping the crutches against the wall, he crossed his arms and arched an eyebrow. “Having fun? Get down.” He was here to learn, not mess around. And until Ryne proved he could behave, class would be work. If he could behave, then there would be games. Chase was good trainer. He knew that. And he knew how to have fun with his students. But when it looked like he had another Vincent on his hands? He was going to be the bad cop.

[Ryne Caliban]

He felt himself tipping a bit as he hopped to another desk, throwing it a little off balance, but quick reflexes made sure he caught himself in time. Before he could hop over any more desks a man entered the room. He didn't look as old as some of the other teacher's here. Rather slowly, the older man made his way to the teacher's desk, crutches helping him limp along the way. Evie watched carefully, a smirk forming on his face, as his new trainer placed his crutches against the wall, folded his arms, and raised an eyebrow. He asked if Evie was having fun. From his elevated position, the younger boy was about to answer, that yes he was indeed having fun, but before he could even get a word out, he was stopped by the order to get down.

Evie pouted like a small child. "Killjoy." He said with a similar childish voice, as he hopped off the desk and on to the floor. To be completely honest, he didn't really want to get off to too bad of a start with this guy. The younger blond wasn't a bad kid, he just didn't get along well with most other people. Before he came to Hammel, he was bullied constantly so it was inevitable to hate them, and even after he came to Hammel, people still gave him a rough time, or they turned out to be assholes anyway. Example: Zachary LaRousse. If anything, he probably hated at least ninety percent of the school population. He truly didn't want to make that number go up. It also made him sound much too angsty.

Sitting down in one of the chairs near the desk he was previously standing on, Evie popped a question. "So.....how does this work?" He really didn't know exactly how the older man was supposed to be training him. Hell, he didn't even know how train himself. He didn't really even know mechanics of his own powers. For the most part, he thought of something from another room, and it appeared out a portal thingy.

The summoner glanced at the older man's leg. "You do know you're crippled don't you?"He asked a little dumbly. He wasn't really thinking when the question exited his mouth. It was just sort of one of those things that one says for no absolute reason. Plus, no one said the young blond was smart all the time, nor did anyone say he had tact.

[Chase Campbell]

In all honesty, this little game Ryne was playing was something Chase hadn’t played, nor seen any of his other students play. It was just odd, and he really wanted it to stop. Just because he was one of the younger teachers didn’t mean he didn’t fully intent to use his influence (his teaching influence, not his power) to get what he wanted. And right now, he just wanted some cooperation. Hopefully, Ryne would be game for that. If not... he really wasn’t going to make the trainer go after him, right?

Thankfully not. Chase felt a small wave of relief wash over him when the boy got down. “I heard that. I’m not a killjoy, I just don’t want you to fall and hurt yourself. Besides, you’re here to learn, not to jump around on the desks.” He’d already had a flip through the boy’s file. Some powers, he might have condoned leaping around like that. But for summoning? Not a chance. He waited for him to choose a seat and sit down. A lot of the time, the desks were moved around so that the kids had a place to practice. Or if it was nice enough, class would be held outside. With the snow this time of year, it was harder to pull that off. And the native Southerner really harboured a distaste for the cold white stuff.

Chase pulled himself up so that he was sitting on the edge of his desk. Any of his students could tell you that that was how he preferred teaching. He was casual, rarely dressing in a tie, or even a collared shirt. Jeans and t-shirts were his usual standard, though with his injury, he’d relented a bit on that. He’d started to take to wearing t-shirts with collared shirts overtop, though they weren’t buttoned up all the way (or at all, like today). “Easy. You practice for me. I can help you focus, and if need be, I can shut down your power completely.” Repetition might seem boring, but it was in all honesty the best way to train. He knew that firsthand. He’d been a trainer for years now, and he’d seen all kinds of powers walk through his door. And he’d dealt with summoners before.

Maybe Ryne wasn’t so bad. At least until he brought up the word ‘crippled.’ It wasn’t one he’d actually heard used before in his situation. It made Chase frown slightly. “I’m not crippled. It’s an injury, and it’s not going to affect my ability to teach you.” No, he was not going soft on his students because he was hurt. “Let’s start with the basics. I know who you are. Your name is Ryne, and you’re a summoner. My name is Chase Kilbourne, and you can stick with calling me Chase. I don’t mind. I have mind control, but I’m not going to use it unless you give me a good reason.” Which he really, really hoped wouldn’t be the case. He still didn’t want to use his powers. Not on anyone, for any reason. “Is there anything else you want to know before we get started?”

[Ryne Caliban]

"What's life without a little risk?" Evie answered almost immediately after the older man reprimanded the boy for playing on the desks. "If I fall, I fall. I get hurt, but c'est la vie." Indeed, getting hurt was a part of life. You heal up, and you move on. It was part of his carefree philosophy.One he tried to uphold as much as possible. Should a fear of what could possibly happen stop him from enjoying his life? For the blond, the answer was simple. No."As for the learning, you were late. So at the time of the jumping on desks, I wasn't learning anything." He said with playful grin. The boy glanced out the window at the snow covered landscape, his face reflecting happiness, but his mind held disdain. He hated winter, it was much, much too cold.

The older man raised himself to his desk in a very relaxed position. It didn't really surprise Evie, since he was one of the younger teachers. The older teachers always seemed to be so much more prim and proper, and Evie hated that. This guy however, seemed be more casual, as judged by his clothes too. In fact, the younger boy was sure it went against some Hammel dress-code or something right? Weren't teachers supposed to look professional or whatever? Unconsciously Evie looked at his own clothes. He, himself, was wearing his usual white zip-up hoodie, a t-shirt, and some jeans. Nothing even remotely formal about that.

Training didn't seem like it was going to be fun at all. According to his trainer, they were going to spend time on focus. This was something the younger blond had trouble with. Unless something really motivates him to focus, his mind wanders. Evie felt a little unsure of how this training session was going to go. Usually when something requires him to focus, the opposite happens and he becomes a little ADHD. When his trainer mentioned shutting down his powers, Evie really couldn't think of a situation where his powers would get out of hand, and he voiced it so. "Why would you need to shut down my powers? I'm a summoner, what's the worst that could happen. I summon a whale to school?" Evie laughed a little. That situation would be impossible because he knew that he couldn't summon living things, nor could he summon something that large.

Evie's gray eyes watched as the man frowned at his 'crippled' comment. It was a tad bit insensitive, but that was how Evie was at times. Not that he directly tried to be that way. The boy felt the need to apologize, but he stayed silent instead. When his the older man started talking again, Evie visibly flinched at the calling of his first name. His face fell a little. It was a natural reaction, and he couldn't help it. Being at Hammel, it actually happened a lot in classes, with his first name being the one on file and everything. Even still, the young summoner really never got used to it. He hated to be called by his first name. Mainly for the fact that he hated the memories associated with it. That whole thing about healing up and moving on? Forgetting his first name was part of that.

"Evie." He said his voice noticeably softer. "I go by Evie. It's short for my middle name, Everett. Other than that, no, I don't really have anything else to say." He knew he couldn't blame Chase for not knowing, but now he wanted nothing more than to get this session over with.

[Chase Campbell]

Was Evie really going to push that button? Chase had seen, and experienced, enough risk for a lifetime in the past few months. He’d made decisions that could have left him dead, and instead had left him injured and at odds with himself. He frowned at the attitude. “No, if you fall, you get hurt, and it comes back on me.” He did manage to soften a little, though. He couldn’t blame the boy for trying to entertain himself. “I just don’t want you hurt, okay?” It hadn’t been that long ago that he’d been a little like Evie. Carefree, unafraid of consequences. But things were different now. He had his husband, and his kids, and he’d learned the hard way that things could change for the worse. “I’m sorry I was late, but I’m here now.” He followed the younger blond’s gaze and had to smile. Maybe they had something in common after all.

Chase was very relaxed when it came to teaching. If you asked why, it would probably be because his only “official” training as a teacher had been at Hammel itself, shortly after he’d arrived as an adult. His college life had been nothing short of useless, and he had no work experience relating to power training. Unless you counted personal training at a gym, way back home. He really didn’t. But he considered not being formally trained to be a teacher gave him an advantage. He could relate to the kids, and when they were good, he had no problems letting them mess around for the last part of class. Of course, that was easier when it was warm outside, and he had a group going.

Training could be fun. Though it was over twenty years ago now, Chase still remembered what it was like to be a student. He’d hated his training sessions, mostly because the learning process to control mind control wasn’t pleasant. It had involved a lot of migraines, and a lot of work. Of course, as an adult, he was happy that he’d put in that amount of effort. He had fantastic control over his ability, and he wanted his students to leave with the same. Focus was one thing his students tended to become very, very good at. Mostly because if they were messing around, he could make them focus. At least, he had been able to make them in the past. Now, he didn’t have his power to use to his advantage. “I’m just saying I could, if need be. And you can’t summon a whale.”

He really wanted to be done playing the serious teacher. He really did enjoy the casual atmosphere of his classroom, and he wanted to bring that feeling back. Leaning back, he pulled open one of his desk drawers and pulled out something small. Something easy, hopefully, for the summoner. “All right. I can call you Evie.” He could see, and hear, the difference in the boy, and he was willing to give him what he wanted. (He really was a sucker for kids, he just wouldn’t admit to it.)

He placed the item – an obnoxiously bright Koosh ball he’d managed to acquire at one point in his teaching career – on one of the front desks. “If that’s it, then we can get started. I want you to summon this... thing... over to you.” It was small, and probably not the easiest thing to summon, but it would mean Evie had to focus. And that was exactly what Chase wanted.

[Ryne Caliban]

The boy's eyes widened a little in surprise. It had been a while since anyone had actually told Evie that they didn't want to see him hurt. Granted the previous times were on a much higher emotional level. He could remember his mother actually tearing up when she said it. It was way back, years ago, when she decided that Evie should go to Hammel. If only she knew the knew how many fights her son really got into. Bruises and scars were nothing new, even after coming to "the safety of Hammel". Getting hurt seemed to come with territory of being Evie, and falling off a desk would have probably been the least of his injuries. Of course he wasn't going to tell his mother that. He wouldn't want her to worry any more than she already does, especially with his younger sister of only eight years old on the loose.

Another time was with Terrance. Evie's father had died, and the young boy was an emotional wreck. No one really wants to see their best friend hurting, and it was Terrance's duty to tell him that. It was a little ironic that in the end, Terrance was the one who caused the most pain. But again, there was a need to heal and move on. There was a some doubt in Evie's mind that Chase really cared. He worked in a school, as a teacher, with kids. Unless he was a complete asshole(like some of the teachers in this school), he was sort of required to care. But it was still nice to hear the words actually being said, even if Evie didn't fully believe it to be true.

Thankfully, the older male agreed to call Evie by his nickname, as he reached into the desk to bring out a brightly colored, stringy, ball. The task was supposed to be simple, summon the ball to himself, but simple isn't always so easy. "O...kay." He said, a little hesitantly to his trainer. Evie wasn't too confident in his abilities. He young gray-eyed boy stared at the ball immensely, hoping that it would appear in front of him. His stomach growled, but he tried to ignore it and concentrate on bringing the ball to himself.

He could feel a tug in the back of his mind, as he felt an object fall into his dimensional rift. Within a few milliseconds that object dropped from the ceiling and in front of Evie, too bad it wasn't what he was aiming for, or at least not consciously aiming for. A large bag of Skittles had landed in Evie's lap. "Candy!" The summoner, smiled with glee. Quickly ripping the bag open, he poured a a large amount into his mouth. Remembering that Chase was still in the room, he threw a glance over to the older male, as he popped a question."Want some?" Perhaps this was going to be a much longer session after all.

[Chase Campbell]

Even before he’d had his kids, Chase had cared about his students wellbeing. Since he and James had fostered Nikki, he’d really found a soft spot for his students. It wasn’t just that it would reflect badly on him as a teacher, but he did genuinely care about his students. Playing around on the desks like that was probably fun, but he knew from experience that stunts like that would get you hurt. (Says the man who once decided to “fly” off of his garage roof as a child.) At least Evie had listened to him and gotten down. He took it back. The kid definitely wasn’t another Vincent Verax.

With some students, he didn’t want to care. He had to. It was an obligation. Like with Vincent. He really, really, really didn’t want to care. But he did. Granted, he cared more when Nikki set foot in his classroom. Or the students that really tried for him. It was the slackers (Sammy), and the students that had bad attitudes in the first place (Vincent), that he was more inclined to not care about. So far, Evie wasn’t falling into that category. At least now he was off the desks and listening.

He supposed he could have been nicer. Chosen a bigger object. Easier to focus on. But he wanted to gave Evie’s current abilities. If he couldn’t do this, he’d give him something bigger to work with. Technically, it was working backwards, but Chase liked to challenge his students. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out this time. He realized that when he saw the movement from above Evie, and it wasn’t the ball.

... Well, it was something. He smiled a little at the boy’s eagerness. Though the candy probably belonged to another student (he was pretty sure the big bags weren’t in the vending machines), he supposed that really didn’t matter. “Close,” he managed to say without smirking too much. “Actually, that’s a pretty good try. And no thanks, I'm good.” He gathered his crutches (he still hated them) and moved closer to Evie, picking up the Koosh ball as he limped by, and ended up sitting on top of a desk close to him. “So where did your old trainer leave off with you?” As he spoke, he toyed with the rubber strings on the ball. “Just so I know where I need to go from here.”

[Ryne Caliban]

Sweet. Evie could taste the rainbow, and the rainbow was fucking delicious. He had always had a sweet tooth ever since he was a toddler. It was a little surprising that he never had cavities. Maybe brushing and flossing really did help. Chase had refused the boy's offer, and Evie just shrugged. "More for me." He stated with a smirk. Quickly and greedily the young blond gobbled down the rest of the bag. He swallowed them twice as fast as he normally would, mostly because in all honesty he felt a little bad for making his trainer wait. Before he knew it, the candy was gone, and the sugar supply had come to an end. Evie looked at the bag with a tiny hint of sadness, but there was no time for grieving. There were were powers that needed to be practiced. Plus, there would always be more candy later.

His trainer grabbed his crutches and hobbled over to where Evie was. He felt bad for not being able to help the older man. For much of the summoner's life, he had wanted to be a doctor, and he still did. Which was actually kind of odd, since Evie had more of a habit of hurting than healing. Still, Evie didn't want to let someone that didn't deserve to die have their life cut short. In fact, he was taking some classes at a local college in preparation for it. With meta-humans being existent, Evie felt a little dejected. He felt that he got a little cheated with his own ability. In a way, he felt that it wasn't fair that he couldn't have a power that related to healing, whether it was cell regeneration, or whatnot. But it was never enough to cause him to give up. Hence, why he was still taking classes.

Soon, the older blond was sitting on a desk near the younger gray-eyed boy. When asked where his old trainer left off, Evie's eyes fell to the floor. "We didn't get very far at all." His voice giving off a lowly tone. For a second, he truly felt worthless again. Evie recalled the sessions with his last trainer. Even if he gave her hell, and even if she deserved it, her words stuck in the back of the boy's mind. 'This should be easy. You're not even trying.' Evie was trying, but he just couldn't do it. Summoning the model globe from across the room was difficult, because he didn't really want to summon it. He wasn't at the point where he could just summon something at will, and her yelling at him was not making him want to do it any more. 'God, you're hopeless.' That was the breaking point when he summoned the water on her head. He didn't like being told things like that. He'd heard it all before. 'Hopeless, worthless, useless.'

"I don't think we really made any progress, come to think of it." Evie stated trying playing it off as if it were no big deal.

[Chase Campbell]

Evie wasn’t the only one in the room with a raging sweet tooth. If he had summoned sour Skittles, Chase might have taken him up on the offer. All the time he’d been home, recovering, James had made his day better by dropping off miniature bags of Sour Patch Kids. Most of his students knew that he was a sucker for sour things. He never got apples as presents (unless the kid was a smart-ass). More often, it was sour keys, cherry blasters, those kinds of things. “Yeah,” he answered quietly. He didn’t mind him having candy, even if was ill-gotten. He allowed his students to eat in class, as long as it didn’t interfere with their work.

He’d be glad to know that Evie had some ambition in life. Too many of his students were drifters, with no idea what they wanted from life. Sadly, though he felt obligated to preach against that, he had been like them, at their age. No idea what he’d wanted to do. He’d gone to community college and studied very basic things. Things that had ended up doing him no good, as he’d ended up in a dead end job. It hadn’t been until he’d met James, and returned to Hammel that he’d really found a purpose. About twenty years too late, but it gave him a good reason to try to get the kids on track.

As Evie explained where his former trainer (he couldn’t remember who it had been) had left off, he honestly felt for the kid. Sure, he could come across as a tough trainer. But he also knew that he worked with a good system. Reward the good behaviour, and correct the bad. He yelled, he reprimanded. But hell, if you tried, even a little, he was there for you. He had no problem holding extra training sessions after classes were done, or during the weekend if there were no other options (and he liked you). The sound of the boy’s discouragement tugged at him, and he had to smile. “It’s okay, Evie. We’ll get you sorted out. I promise you.” He nodded over to the Koosh ball again. “Now you’ve got your sugar fix, want to try again for me?”

... He really was getting paternal over his students. Damn.

[Ryne Caliban]

The candy did help. Sure, it wasn't the most substantial meal, but it would do for the time being. Plus, being a candy addict, his body was used to it being a not-so-valid source of nutrition."Yeah. I'll get it this time, I promise." Evie nodded with determination. He was more than willing to try again, this time because he actually wanted to, and not only because he had to. He was grateful that Chase was willing to help him catch up to speed rather than yell at him for not being able to do it. Evie really didn't like to be yelled at. Although, that didn't mean things wouldn't change. Things can change really easily sometimes. He was going to try again, and this time he was going to do it. No exceptions. All he had to do was focus. Easier said than done. The young blond thought, as he mentally prepared himself for the task at hand.

Summoning small objects was not really an easy task. It actually required a lot more concentration than summoning large objects. It isn't so much the small object that is the problem, but the portal itself. With Evie's power, if one makes the gateway too large, more energy than what is needed is expended, which can tire him out faster. And it also runs the risk of pulling unwanted objects through. For example, if he created the portal too large, he would pull not only the koosh ball through, but the desk as well. Not only would a large portal cause fatigue, but a large object will as well.

Therefore, in order to use his power to the best of his ability, he would need to be able to control the size of the dimensional rifts, but that is where it becomes really difficult. Whereas a large portal is just the expenditure of energy to make the gateway larger, a small portal is the holding-back of energy, which is much more difficult than releasing it.

Closing his eyes, Evie tried to focus on the koosh ball once again. At this moment he wanted nothing more to make Chase proud. He concentrated on bringing the ball to him, and only the koosh ball. Only the koosh ball. He repeated like a mantra in his mind. He could feel the rift open a little. The summoner tried to open in slowly, holding back as much as he could. He needed to be precise. He let it open a little wider. Steady. Once more, he inched a little wider with his mind, until he felt a familiar tug.

Evie's eyes opened. Sitting in front of him was the obnoxiously colored koosh ball. For the second time that day, Evie smiled with glee. "Score!"

[Chase Campbell]

As a meta with mental abilities, Chase knew all about candy addictions. Psychic powers seemed to require more glucose, and he was more than happy to draw it from places like Sour Patch Kids. Of course, he also had a sweet tooth, but so did his husband. “I’m sure you can do it,” he encouraged. It didn’t take rocket science to know that his students worked better under encouragement than a lot of yelling and berating. He remembered what it was like to be learning how to master a power. Without his trainers having the patience to work with him, he’d probably still be struggling. Like James.

He knew summoning the small item wouldn’t be easy for the boy. Especially one with so little substance to it. It wasn’t exactly playing fair, but he wanted to see a) how much Evie’s powers were developed, and b) if he could get the boy to focus. He was patient as he waited for the boy to work for him, and was actually pleased by the focus he could see in his eyes. That was what he wanted.

All it ever took was a little bit of focus and time. It was something not all his students understood. Keeping his arms crossed over his chest, he watched patiently, toying with his wedding ring as he did so. His mind was wandering, which, in a lesson of focus, probably wasn’t the best thing. But he couldn’t help it. James was still trying to talk him into talking to a therapist about what had happened at the MSAD compound.

It wasn’t until Evie called out that he snapped out of his daze. Looking at the desk, he grinned. “Great! Good job!” He held out his hand for a high five. He was actually proud of the kid. “How do you feel now?” He didn’t want to push him, he knew side effects could be a bitch. He was happy with that progress, but if Evie wanted to continue, he could find other things for him to summon. Test distances. He grinned, pushing his focus back on his student.

[Ryne Caliban]

Honestly, it felt good to be treated like a kid sometimes. Perhaps it was Evie's way of holding on to a childhood he could never get back. The future was far too uncertain and a little frightening to think about. His mind was much safer staying in the now. If he were to stay in the past, he'd end up reminiscing about stuff he didn't want to reminisce about. At least when you're pretending to be young again, you can actually feel like you are. If Evie could have it his way, he'd never grow up at all. Peter Pan was his hero. In fact, the very thought of growing old(like wrinkling skin old) made him shiver.

Everyone dies, one day at a time. Each day brings people closer to their death. Some may think it a morbid, cynical viewpoint, but it just depends on how you look at it. You can easily take the same thoughts and put them in a different light, make them somewhat positive. Something like a countdown to the end of our life, we need to make the most of each day. The point is, not all of us can live forever. If he was going to die, it wasn't going to be by old age, he was going to go out doing with fireworks. It was the dreamer side of him that didn't want to go quietly. The young blond returned his new trainer's high five with enthusiasm.

It wasn't until Chase mentioned it, did Evie notice a small tinge of pain in the back of his head. The summoner knew this feeling. It often started out small, but it would eventually grow in to a mind-numbing migraine. His endurance and stamina for straining his powers wasn't very high at all. "I feel fine for now." Evie said with a grin. "But the migraine will kick in later. Nothing that can't be fixed with a few hours of sleep." The summoner scoffed in his mind. Tonight was going to suck. Evie almost never slept; too many nightmares. Tonight he was probably lie in his bed motionless, staring at the ceiling. He'd rather stay awake with the migraine, than sleep with his dreams.

"We can keep training, but I need a little break." He said, glancing at his trainer. He did want to train more. It felt good actually getting somewhere in it. His mind needed a distraction though. A distraction from thinking about the headache always made it more bearable. His eyes looked to the crutches that Chase brought with him. "I don't mean to pry, but how'd you cripple yourself anyway? Fall down some stairs?" Evie joked. The blond was still as tactless as ever.

[Chase Campbell]

It was a well known fact that Chase was nothing but an overgrown teenager. Though things had changed for him in the past few months, he’d grown more into an adult in the past year than he had in the last five, he still knew how to have fun in his classes. He loved goofing around with his students, and when he was training those with mental abilities, he found it easier to relate to them. He knew their side effects. He knew the strain on their bodies.

It was why he checked with Evie to see how he was faring. Making him summon something so small and tricky right off the bat hadn’t exactly been kind, and Chase knew it. But it had been important as a starting point. He nodded at the boy’s answers. “Yeah, the migraines are a bitch. I get them too.” Apparently, watching his mouth wasn’t a priority anymore. He was lucky, though. James often was able to anticipate them before they hit hard, and gave his husband medication before they kicked in. “Tylenol helps too, especially if you can catch them before they kick in. I have some handy, if you need it.”

A break was fine with him. “That’s okay. We can break.” The trainer leaned forward and picked up the rubber ball, pulling at the strings. If he knew Evie better, the snow wasn’t still around, and his leg wasn’t in the plastic and Velcro contraption, he would have moved the session outside. They’d have to settle for finding something to discuss until Evie was ready to go again.

... Okay, anything but that.

Chase shifted at the question. Though the way it was worded made him smile (he actually admired Evie’s spunk), it was something he didn’t really want to talk about. So, he gave the unofficial story that everyone that hadn’t been involved was getting. “Naw. I got mugged. Didn’t end well.” He paused, tossing the Koosh ball in the air before smirking. “But you should see the other guy.” Yeah, Chase. You’re real funny.