Curiouser and Curiouser (Tamar Harris)

[Vincent Romanov]

Not many teachers graced the student cafeteria, save for the quick look over to see if the students were behaving themselves. Security here was even a rarer sight to see, much less the head of security himself. Vincent was usually hold up in the security building for the majority of the day, coming out to patrol the grounds if he was short handed for the day. His routine consisted of security evaluations and reports from his own people, not to mention a few phone calls to the local police department to keep their nerves at ease. Having a school of meta-humans looming over a small town hardly set well with anyone and Vincent could understand why. Aside from the same boring routine, Vincent would pull flagged student files when time allowed him. Students who had merited far too many detentions or those who had merited detentions for rather violent outbursts were given a thorough once over and if they made Vincent the least bit nervous, he would visit them off the record and see if things could be set straight before they became any worse. For the most part, this usually worked. Today, was one of those off the record visits, but this visit would be different.

Tamar Harris was a new recruit to Hammel and so far, she had done nothing out of line to warrant a visit from security or from Vincent. It was just the odd feeling Vincent got from talking to the girl the other day that made him look her up in Hammel's files. In his years at Hammel, Vincent had seen some sad cases, but Tamar tugged at his heartstrings a bit more than anyone else ever had. The young girl had lost her parents when she was three in a car accident and had since then, been shuffled from one foster family to another. Vincent had seen these kind of kids before, after all, he volunteered at the youth center in town. Kids pushed from one family to another, staying for a short amount of time and then shoved off to the next people waiting in line. That wasn't a life for anyone and more often than not, it produced only problem children. Tamar was still young and although he hadn't spoke with her long, Vincent just had this feeling the girl was still a good egg. She didn't have anything in her school records which indicated anything which would cause her to be a problem later in life, but things of that nature could change at the drop of a hat. Accessing Tamar's private files from the state department was generally not going to happen, but Vincent had ways around red tape.

Tamar needed someone in her life to be there for her, especially right now. It was probably hard enough being an orphan, but when you threw in the meta condition, then things really got complicated. Hopefully Tamar had made a few friends since her arrival at Hammel, and even if she had, she was going to need more than friends right now. Tamar needed a family, she needed someone to be a firm foundation for her to stand on and believe it or not, Vincent sort of felt he could be that foundation for her. He liked kids, despite what the kids here at Hammel might say about him, and he was certainly devoted to family. He always wanted to settle down and have a few kids, but life seemed to have something different in mind for him. He just never found the right woman, but there was still time. Vincent had thought about taking in some foster kids on and off in the past, but never went through with the ordeal. Now however, might be a different answer. He would need to get to know Tamar a bit better first though, hence his reason for being where he was now.

Vincent was sitting at one of the back tables in the cafeteria, still on the clock of course. Being head of security meant no predetermined rounds or grounds to patrol. He sort of had quite a bit of free reign in how he performed his job and that was one of the reasons which made him so good at what he did. Claude pretty much let the teachers and staff take of thing themselves, only intervening when necessary. It was nice working for someone who had faith in his employees. Vincent's eyes darted from one student to the next, some meeting his gaze for a moment before quickly looking away in hushed whispers to their friends. So far, he had been there for three hours, watching and waiting for young miss Tamar to wander in to eat.

[Tamar Harris]

Tamar was settling into Hammel pretty well. It was weird being at a boarding school, but she was so used to having to switch schools all the time that adapting to Hammel wasn't all that hard. The strangest thing was actually the way the other students her age were adapting. Girls in her dorm would cry because they missed their parents, which was something Tamar couldn't relate to. She didn't have anyone to talk to at night, she didn't receive care packages in the mail or e-cards from concerned parents. Yet it was also weird not having an adult concerned for her well being. Sure, there were the teachers and staff around, but it wasn't really the same. Even when she'd been with foster families she didn't like they'd been in charge of her, but here she felt more on her own than she ever had.

Overall, though, it was going pretty well. Classes were like any other school, really. Powers training was the best of course. Tamar had improved a lot with her power, even in the short time she'd been at the Institute. She'd even starting using it out of training sessions, though only to go very short distances, like across the room. However, it wasn't always a time saver, like the time she'd ended up in the basement when trying to get across the hall to class. Even though she was practicing, she didn't always hit her mark. Luckily she hadn't left any body parts behind which was a side effect the trainer had mentioned. Tamar was pretty sure he was only saying it to scare her into caution, though. Hopefully.

Tamar left the lunch line, tray in hand. She hovered for a moment at the edge of the room, not sure where to sit. How many times had she stood awkwardly in a cafeteria, not sure where to sit because she didn't know anyone? She couldn't say exactly, but it was definitely a lot. Sure, she'd met a few people but she wouldn't call them friends yet. Besides, Tamar wasn't the greatest at making friends. Years of having to leave them behind made her wary of getting close enough to someone to call them a friend. As she awkwardly stood near the garbage cans, Tamar noticed someone she recognized in the back of the room. It was Vincent, the security guy.

Honestly, Tamar hadn't really given him much thought since they'd first met, but she had categorized him in her mind as someone who had been nice and friendly to her when she'd first arrived. Partly because she was curious why he was in the cafeteria and partly because he was someone she knew, Tamar made her way across the room to Vincent's table.

When she reached his table, Tamar set her tray down, but didn't take a seat. "I didn't know staff ever ate in the student cafeteria." She said, then added, "or are you watching someone?" At this, Tamar turned around to scan the room, as if she was going to see some troublesome looking boy creeping about. The student body looked reasonably boring, but didn't they always say it was the quiet ones you had to watch out for? Tamar still didn't sit down. She didn't want to disturb him if he didn't want her company, she could always go somewhere else.

[Vincent Romanov]

Vincent's several hours of waiting were finally beginning to pay off. No doubt he was behind in some of his paper work by now, but that really didn't matter to him. Vincent wasn't really the 'sitting behind a desk' sort of guy. He liked being out in the field, doing something he saw as productive. Vincent knew all the paper work he endlessly filed and filled out was important, he just wished he had someone he could trust enough to do it for him. He hated pushing a pencil, but felt he had the eye for detail to spot the things which made situations and people dangerous. Being a soldier who was always on the front lines, Vincent had learned to detect dangers before hand, just like all good soldiers. He didn't doubt the abilities of the other members of the security team, he just didn't think they had the right amount of experience....save for maybe one or two. That thought was a different discussion for a different time as this moment was about Tamar.

Tamar had been standing by herself by the garbage cans for some time now, looking around like a lost puppy. It was the look of the new kid, a look every teacher and staff member here had seen more times than they could all count. Clearly, Tamar hadn't made any solid friends yet or else she would already be sitting with someone. It was hard to fit in, twice as hard when you were a kid. Kids could be mean, meta or not, but it was just something everyone had to deal with. Some kids dealt with the teasing and social rejections easier than others and while Vincent didn't know Tamar, he felt she would deal easily with whatever life threw at her. She had fire in her and judging from her case history, was no stranger to problems. The rest of the crowd here in the cafeteria seemed to give Tamar no indication and that was sort of good. It meant Tamar hadn't made any enemies yet but it also wasn't a good sign either. If no one noticed you, then you were alone.

Finally after a moment or two, Tamar locked eyes with Vincent. Vincent remained seated, giving Tamar a smile but nothing else. He would see how the young girl acted toward his presence. Would she acknowledge him with a nod or smile or just walk off to sit down by herself? Whatever her decision, it would impact Vincent's evaluation of her one way or the other. Fortunately, Tamar chose an action which would work favorably for her down the road. Tamar began walking toward Vincent, with purpose. She could have been upset with him being here, after all it was kind of stalker like. The look on Tamar's face however, told a different story. She had no ill look of malice on her face and her gait was far too relaxed to have any anger. She earned a few glances now as she neared Vincent but that was to be expected. Walking up to the head of security like it was nothing would raise many questions about anyone, hopefully this act wouldn't earn Tamar any negative status.

Leaning forward into the table as Tamar approached, Vincent rested his elbows on the table and clasped his hands together in front of his face. He glanced to the tray Tamar sat down and then back up to Tamar. The girl hadn't chosen to sit down, indicating her hesitation at action. She wasn't sure what to do clearly and even more unsure if Vincent would tolerate her being at the same table with him. "We usually don't," he said in response to her astute observation of the unusualness of a staff member being present in the student cafeteria. Vincent liked Tamar's forward attitude. She wasn't out of line and her tone still had respect in it, but at the same time, she showed she wasn't intimidated by authority. Vincent dared a smile as Tamar turned around, looking through the crowd for whomever Vincent supposedly was watching. If he had been watching someone for mischievous activity, then he wouldn't be out in the open like this, no...he had security cameras for that. "Actually Tamar, I was looking for you," he said casually, "I've looked over your file and wanted to talk to you about a few things," he added, knowing this could get dangerous. Tamar might not want to talk about her past with Vincent, after all, she didn't know him.

[Tamar Harris]

Tamar was reassured by the kind smile Vincent had given her, but still didn't sit herself down in the seat, preferring to wait for some sort of indication that it was all right. It wasn't exactly politeness that stopped her, no, you could hardly call Tamar a girl with impeccable manners. She just didn't want to sit with someone who didn't want her around and, more often than not, adults didn't want to spend their time off with a child. Parents hardly wanted to spend their time off with their own children, let alone a Russian head of security and the girl who'd thrown a tennis ball through his office window.

Tamar was a bit confused at his simple comment that, no, school staff didn't usually eat in the cafeteria. His clarification was a moment coming, but when it did Tamar stiffened noticeably and her eyebrows knitted together in a slight scowl. He had read her case file, he knew all about her past and now he wanted to talk to her. Tamar remembered all the other teachers who had thought to “talk to her.” Who had called to her after class, asking her to stay behind so they could “discuss things.” Having the head of security talk to her was a first, but he would still probably say the same things everyone else always said. How she shouldn't let her past dictate what she accomplishes and how she has just as much potential as everyone else, etc. etc. Tamar was confused what had triggered it though. She hadn't gotten in any trouble since arriving at Hammel, maybe he had been more annoyed about the tennis ball than she had previously thought.

“I didn't mean to throw the ball through the window. It was an accident.” Her voice was defensive, but not pleading, as if she'd suddenly thrown up an invisible barrier between them. She wished she could leave, but she knew it would only make things worse. Maybe once he was done talking he would go back to work, but why had he come in the first place? She couldn't think of any other reason he would want to talk to her other than the tennis ball incident. The thought that he might actually care about her and her alone had never entered her mind. That he might genuinely be concerned was not something Tamar would even dare to consider. She had taught herself not to think these things, they were dangerous thoughts. Even when someone had genuinely cared for her, she would inevitably have to leave and she would make up a reason for why it hadn't been true. She would pretend she didn't care and in her pretending she would convince herself it was true. It was easier that way.

She still didn't sit down, but now it was out of defiance instead of concern. Her stomach rumbled noisily and she glared down at her abdomen, as if she could will it to stop. Hungry young girl wasn't exactly the look she was going for. She didn't want to get in trouble, but she didn't want Vincent to think that she was someone who needed “a talking to” and “straightening out” she'd had enough of that in her life. No one seemed to realize how frustrating it was to be talked to like that. They seemed to think that they were able to make her feel better about herself when they were actually doing the opposite. Treating her normally, as if there wasn't something defective about her would make her feel better about herself. Acting as if they liked her for who she was, flaws and all, would make her feel better about herself.

[Vincent Romanov]

And there it was, the stone walled face and rigid posture Vincent didn't want to see. He could hardly blame Tamar for his defensive position, if he were in her position, he would be on guard as well. Having someone such as Vincent so interested in you, especially a young girl, just didn't give the right vibes. Vincent had noble intentions, but the road to hell was paved with such things. Sometimes trying to do what seemed right only did more harm than good and Vincent hoped this wouldn't be one of those times. He just wanted to talk to Tamar, get to know her a little bit, to see the Tamar that her file couldn't show him. She was going to need a parental figure in her life now more than ever. She would be a ward of the state for many more years to come and while they would give Tamar the basics any girl would need, they couldn't give her the love which all children needed to grow. Vincent wasn't even sure he was thinking clearly on this matter. He was single after all and when looking to adopt or foster, the state usually preferred married couples. Vincent could pull some strings on the federal level for sure, he had all sorts of old Army buddies working in all sorts of governmental positions. If those failed, he always had Hammel and her never ending reach as well. Those choices were all moot currently considering Vincent and Tamar still didn't know each other well at all.

"Relax Tamar, I don't care about the tennis ball. After you've been nearly set on fire, thrown across the training field, and all other sorts of meta mishaps, then a tennis ball is the least of your worries," he said with a chuckle. Vincent had dealt with many meta tantrums over the past ten years here at Hammel, some intentional and some not. It was a hard set of patience to develop but one he had forced himself to develop. You couldn't lose your cool with the kids here, it just wasn't good sense. These kids were capable of the most amazing things and they needed assurance and understanding more than anything. Now this wasn't to say that Vincent didn't keep a thumb on some, he just studied the moment carefully before he pressed down. "I'm not a counselor by any means Tamar and trust me, I'm not trying to be one. As a matter of fact, I'm the last person who needs to be trying to give advice," he said with a sigh and another slight smile.

Dropping his hands to the table top, Vincent nodded to the seat across from him. He chuckled as Tamar's stomach growled and even more so when she glared down to it. "Listen, sit down and eat your lunch. If you don't want to talk to me, you don't have to. I just thought having a friend right now might be nice. I remember my first couple of weeks at Hammel, as long ago as they might be now," he said as a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, a few odd memories popping into his head. Then with a heavy sigh, Vincent dared to take another dangerous step, "I might be out of line with this, but here we go anyway," he said, his eyes glancing away from Tamar briefly before coming back to her. "All these other kids have someone to talk to Tamar, someone back home and its not fair that you don't. Like I said, I'm not here to give you some type of counseling, but I do listen pretty good. This isn't some intervention to get you to talk about your parents, just an offer of having someone you can turn to if you want some sort of..........Yeah, I kind of suck at this," he sort of just broke out with, along with a nervous chuckle, "Look, I volunteer down at the youth club in town, a big brother sort of program. I'm not trying to be some kind hearted do gooder here Tamar, just extending a helping hand if you need anything. Okay?," he asked her a very nervous and awkward look on his face, as if he were really unsure of what in the crap he was doing.

[Tamar Harris]

The edges of Tamar's mouth twitched into an almost smile when Vincent told her not to worry about the tennis ball. She knew that meta-mishaps could be a serious problem and people could get hurt, but it was still funny to think of Vincent trying to deal with the plethora of hormonal teenagers at Hammel and their overreacting powers. He looked perfectly capable of dealing with it, anyway. In retrospect, it really was rather ridiculous to be so worried about the tennis ball thing.

Tamar slid into the seat across from his a bit hesitantly. She knew once she sat down it would be near impossible to escape if she wanted to. She took a deep, calming breath. Her entire body was tense, as if she were physically trying to shield herself from emotional harm. She tried to force herself to relax, she was being ridiculous. Old habits die hard, though. Tamar had spent so much time not trusting people that it was difficult to think that someone was acting purely on good intentions. She'd learned that it was easier to assume the worse, that way you were protected from being let down.

When Vincent started rambling, though, Tamar cracked a smile. She took a bite of her macaroni and cheese, then said, "You really are terrible at this." She appreciated his honesty. Most adults acted like they knew everything. Tamar had begun to think that growing up didn't actually mean knowing more it just meant getting good at acting like you knew more. Vincent didn't talk to her like that. "But I think I prefer it that way." She added. She was tired of counselors, people's whose job it was to try to make her feel better. Ever foster parents, who were choosing to take in kids, sometimes acted like it was their duty. It was nice to talk to someone who was there because they wanted to be.

Tamar definitely didn't want to talk about her parents. Not now, at least. She was, somewhat grudgingly, glad that Vincent had offered to talk to her. She wasn't about to admit it -- she liked to believe that she didn't really need anyone -- but her body language showed that she was relaxing. "Were you at Hammel when you were a kid?" She asked, not sure how long Hammel had actually been around.

[Vincent Romanov]

Body language and how to read it was something every good soldier knew. Vincent couldn't tell what made someone who and what they were, he wasn't a profiler. What Vincent could tell from body language was emotion and intention or rather physical intention. A slight twitch of the arm or quick darting of the eyes could betray a person's next move. One couldn't just have a quick trigger finger or go around assaulting everyone who had a nervous tick. You had to have some self control and cool about yourself and the best way to keep that cool was understanding those around you. You didn't need to know their past or their mental state, just their physical state. In a majority of cases, the human body would react out of a need to preserve itself and being able to identify the tell tale movements of that self preservation was what would keep you alive instead. With Tamar, this skill of reading would travel down a different path instead. She wasn't a physical threat by any means, but rather an emotional one. Vincent wasn't heartless and this little miss had captured the attention of his heart to say the least.

He chuckled at Tamar's banter and felt himself breath a sigh of slight relief as Tamar's own body seemed to be a bit less tense. She sat down casually and not rigidly which meant a lot. She picked at her food, indicating interest in the moment and also some worry. It was hard to eat when your stomach was flopping about, even when you were trained as rigidly as Vincent. Vincent would have to reel it in a bit to keep Tamar calm. If he seemed too interested, it would just be a bit too creepy. She would tell him what she wanted him to know in her own time, if ever at all. His curiosity and intentions would have to be held back at mental gunpoint, a life lesson learned the hard way. Vincent had to remember he was here to be a safe haven for Tamar, a weight to keep her tethered in this new world.

Glancing away, thumbing his bottom lip, Vincent smiled and even chuckled lightly. He turned his attention back to Tamar and cleared his throat, nodding his head. "Its a rarity that any of our kind escape Hammel's eyes, or at least here in America anyway. Hammel has been playing this game for a very long time and as you might imagine, its pretty good at its job," he said sort of seriously. Tamar had no idea how serious her situation was at this point and outside of this moment, Vincent wasn't in any hurry to rush Tamar to that harsh reality. She was still very young and had a few more years before she would have to start making real life changing decisions. Right now, she just needed to get used to having a place to lay her head at night, a place where she was truly accepted.

Flashing a smile, Vincent tried to lighten the moment, "They found me when I was fifteen. Pretty quick too I might add," he said, dropping both hands to the table top now in a causal and relaxed manner, "I was taking my little sister to her dance class one day. We started across a crosswalk and the next thing I know, some car swerves over in our direction and I just did what came natural I guess. I covered my sister with my body and then everything just sort of isn't there. All I know is that I woke up in the hospital, not a scratch on me. My sister was fine of course, but I sort of stole the show. A day later some short little balding man showed up, gave some really confusing explanation of who he was and what I was," he went on, shrugging his shoulders at the ending of his sentence, "One thing led to another and then here I was, as confused as I ever was," he finished, letting out more of himself to anyone than he ever had. Vincent's personal history was on record of course, sealed just as the rest of the staff records, but he had never discussed it with anyone here. Some of the older instructors and general staff knew the basics with him and even a smaller select few had helped teach Vincent when he attended here. However, no student had ever known this much about him, although that snoop Mia Keystone probably knew his personal file by heart by now. He let all this out to sort of let Tamar know she wasn't alone. Not alone in who and what she was and certainly not alone in her confusion and fear.

"So," he said with a wide smile, indicating he was amused by something, "I hear you've got quite an interesting ability," he said, leaning over the table a bit as if he were waiting for an interesting bit of gossip. "Teleporters aren't exactly common here at Hammel and uncommon means cool," he said sort of dorkishly. "You been assigned a trainer yet?," he asked her, flashing another smile.