Working Off Some Steam - Ella open tags

[Rhys Rockwood]

Rhys nodded, agreeing that talking about it while in line in front of a burger stand likely wasn't the best place to be talking about their status as metas and their specific abilities. He should have known better than to bring it up so openly. If he had been one for embarrassment, he knew he would be feeling it now. Instead, he just smiled a little as they waited for their food.

Oh, that sounded good. "A pair of orders of fries for me as well. Thanks." He looked at her still grinning a bit; it was hard for him to not smile when he was so pleased with life. "Later, eh? Sounds promising, but I still feel like a bit of a jerk for not paying for you."

Rhys followed her example and started eating one of his burgers as they walked around. The taste seemed to burst in his mouth, surprising him with the quality of it. He'd expected it to be good, but this was far beyond those expectations. Ella hadn't been lying when she told him that the food here was great. "Mmm...this is awesome. Thanks for point the place out to me," he threw in between his bites.

Thankfully, Rhys wasn't a telepath. He would have felt obligated to voice his differing opinion of her shorts. After sitting at the table, he dumped out his burgers and fries, pulled another drink from his bag, and laid into eating the lot of it. Over the years, his eating habits had developed into a rapid consumption pattern so he wouldn't spend two and three times as much time eating as most people.

Between burgers, he took a little time to talk. "A suppressor, huh? Guess that explains why I feel so damn tired for once, though I didn't feel it until you came over and said hey. I didn't notice it when I started running. I guess I have enough natural stamina to go for a while too."

[Ella Tate]

Ella chuckled softly when Rhys caught onto her forwardness and waved his depreciating comment down. "Seriously, you'd be doing me a huge favour by not being the putz who pays on a non-date." Ella restrained her smile from spreading too widely. "You'll get over it." She said as a comment on him feeling like a jerk.

When Rhys complimented the burger, Ella grinned and nodded, biting into her own. "Yep. I found it about two or three months ago. I was starving and probably hallucinating a little bit and mind you, I just moved into the neighborhood so I knew close to nothing." She shrugged happily with a smile. "Then this stall came into view like a mirage in the desert. I was saved." She chuckled.

She was a few bites away from done as Rhys was halfway finished with his second burger. Looking at him made her hungry. She had a wicked metabolism but usually saved for big meals during breakfast where she needed it the most.

"Yeah. Sorry about that. I'm sure you'll live." Ella chuckled as Rhys explained how her powers might not have affected him too much. "I guess so." She nodded, popping a few pieces of her fries into her mouth, chewing slowly. "So...did you grow up in Pilot Ridge?"

[Rhys Rockwood]

He raised an eyebrow at her comment; he'd never heard an insult float toward a friendly action like that. This girl was going to be a bit different, apparently. 'She's a meta. Shouldn't I expect that anyway?' he wondered. "You're right. I'll probably get over it quickly. Definitely after the next time I sleep."

Nodding, Rhys continued shoveling food into his mouth like it was his last meal and only had so many minutes to enjoy it. "I guess that's what happens when you move somewhere new. I've never really had to deal with it, so I don't personally know. Good thing you found it though. Food's a wonderful thing to have."

It only took him a few more bites to polish off the second burger. Rhys didn't have the luxury of only eating one big meal a day. With his active nature and the demands for energy his power put on his body, he could eat like a competitive eater at most meals and still be hungry. He just knew where to cut the line between want and need after dealing with it for years.

"No need to apologize for me feeling tired. It's a nice thing to feel every once in a while." He started on the third burger thinking it would be nice to have her around at night; he'd be able to get some real sleep. 'Then again, if she's around at night, maybe I wouldn't get much sleep anyway...' Barely managing to keep himself from laughing, he moved on to her next question. "More or less, yeah. I came to the Institute in my early teens, pre-teens even. I think I was around twelve. Been here since, either as student, general unofficial aid, and now official recruiter."

[Ella Tate]

With a small smile, Ella nodded and shrugged at his response, not noticing - or rather trying not to notice - the look her fellow recruiter was giving her. She couldn't even identify what he was thinking behind that look.

She tilted her head at Rhys' words. "I suppose. But I've lived in Pilot Ridge since I was thirteen. Spent a lot of my teenage years here. Granted, all I did was go to Hammel and then straight to college without much in between. I think I know Rhode Island better than I know Pilot Ridge." She smirked, sucking on her thumb where sauce had stuck on to. "Oh don't I know it," she chuckled a little at his food comment. "Especially when you only had cereal to eat for five days."

Ella started on her fries the same time Rhys unwrapped his third burger. The lucky bastard probably didn't even need to go to the gym to maintain his tight body, she thought with a small smirk.

His small smirk didn't go unnoticed but Ella didn't comment on it, not wanting to know what he was thinking. "How old are you exactly? I feel like I knew you from when you were a freshman but I can't be too sure."

[Rhys Rockwood]

"I was pretty much the same while in Hammel, but I didn't go to college. I didn't see a need for it." Rhys shrugged as he tossed down a handful of fries in a flash, wondering how well he could survive on just cereal for a few days and how many boxes of cereal he would go through. The number was higher than he would like to afford.

"I would have liked to have done some professional sport or something, but I have an edge on normal humans and meta players tend to be able to do more with super speed or strength or coordination. It's like being stuck between the two worlds of competition."

Technically, Ella was right that he didn't need to go to the gym, but that was only because he did more of his exercise outside than inside. The woods he ran in offered more than enough opportunities to get a complete workout.

"I'm twenty-two. I know you weren't in my class, so that means you're older than me, but not by more than four years. Maybe five at the most, but you don't look like it." Rhys tore into the third, running his eyes around her face and trying to place if he recognized her from years ago.

[Ella Tate]

"I sought refuge anywhere besides home." She shrugged, munching on a fry thoughtfully, not really taking into account that she was talking to a stranger when just a few days ago she had been spooked by her own schoolmate. It wasn't really that out of character for Ella to keep secrets anyway. Besides, she wasn't divulging in any embarrassing secrets people could actually use against her anyway. "So uni was a godsend."

Ella nodded at Rhys' explanation about sports and it made sense to her. Sure she couldn't empathise but she did understand.

So he was five years youngers than her. "Yeah, I might have just left when you entered." She nodded. She too tried to place how she recognised him before she gave up and finished her packet of fries. "So you're not going anywhere else? I mean career wise."

[Rhys Rockwood]

"That makes sense. I can see some people needing that kind of freedom, but Hammel's been the only real home I've known since my parents figured out I was a meta. Even my few trips home are awkward. I get a strong feeling I'm not welcome, so I stay away." He shrugged before finishing off his last hamburger and slowing down on his intake of fries. Rhys knew he'd be coming back to that stand now. It was too good to ignore.

"Why do I need to go anywhere else? I'm more than happy with life. I have the forest for exercise, I love the atmosphere at Hammel, and if I decide I need a position beyond recruiter, I can always enroll in online courses to get whatever degrees I need. I enjoy working with people, and kids that need help with their meta status are a perfect place for me. At least, I like to think so."

Gathering up his trash, Rhys stuffed it all into the bag from the burger stand to throw away later. The idea of switching from a recruiter position to a training position floated in his mind, but the extra freedom in recruiting was a huge bonus. Plus, the traveling was fun.

[Ella Tate]

Without saying another word, Ella nodded at Rhys' intuition. But his next words made her feel a little sorry for the guy. She didn't mean to but as horrible as Ella made her mother and her partner out to be, they had done nothing but make her feel welcome. Which made her seem a little petty now that she thought about it.

She reached a hand out and patted Rhys' awkwardly. Ella didn't say anything as she drew her hand back.

A smile kept her lips occupied as Rhys noted down the benefits Hammel offered. Minus the few exceptions Ella knew were out there seething from being forced to be at Hammel, Ella too saw the many advantages of being at Hammel. She was more than happy to come back.

"Hammel needs more people like you." Ella said, uncrossing her legs as she looked out at the families skating on the iced over lake. "I should come here to sate before the ice melts." She gave a small smile.

[Rhys Rockwood]

He raised an eyebrow at her gesture, wondering what that was about. "Thanks. I'm used to it now, so I just stop in when I feel obligated to, say hi, and get back on the road toward home, toward Hammel." He finished the drink he'd opened at the table, adding it the bag of trash he'd generated.

Rhys smiled at her comment. With words like those, it would be hard for him not to. "I'm glad you think so. Means I have a good chance of at least keeping my job. Good thing too, as I don't have a clue what I'd be doing otherwise. Maybe I could get a job at the burger stand...discount perhaps?" He laughed, finding the idea ludicrous and amusing.

He stood up with a smile and grabbed his garbage. "Why wait? I'm sure there's someone around here renting out skates. We can go find them, get some skates, and have a good time on the ice." Backing away from the table, he grinned and said, "Sounds fun, doesn't it?"

[Ella Tate]

It was kind of cute how the man saw Hammel as home. She did too but she was expected to say such things. Think such things. It was even more endearing coming from a man.

"I'm sure you do. I doubt a place like Hammel would kick out a meta. Well, it's unlikely." She shrugged before laughing at his idea. "You better give me a discount then. I'm a loyal customer there."

Ella turned to Rhys at his suggestion. When he started to get up and moved backwards with that challenging tone in his voice, the recruiter couldn't resist. She looked down at her shorts and imagined how cold it would be if she fell. Well, it just means she can't fall, can she?

She got up from the bench, scooping up her garbage and following Rhys, throwing her garbage away in the nearest trashcan. They found the person rather quickly and after shelling out the remainder of her money, Ella slid on to the smooth ice with a smile. She turned to look at Rhys, careful to move out of people's way. She was supremely glad she grew up knowing how to be on the ice without falling flat on her butt or face.

[Rhys Rockwood]

"Once I have a job here, assuming I have to get one, I'll determine for myself who the 'loyal' customers are," he said with a smile. Rhys knew he'd probably give her what discount he could get away with whether she was a loyal customer or not. Sometimes fingers slipped when putting in an order and the employee discount would get spread around. He knew that would likely happen a bit too often with him behind the counter.

Rhys was going to have the same problem, but he was better off. His shorts were a bit longer. 'This is gonna be fun,' he thought, still smiling at Ella. He hadn't been ice skating in a while, and it was a fun test of balance. With a quick glance over his shoulder, Rhys almost carelessly tossed the bag at the trashcan to get rid of it.

After tightening the laces of his skates a few extra times, he was finally satisfied they were secure. His first steps on the ice were a little shaky, but he was soon feeling much more stable. "Been a while since I was last on ice," he said, trying to explain away the slight tinge of embarrassment. It would disappear as soon as his normal comfort level returned, and that would only take a few minutes of reacquainting himself with the feel of skating.

[Ella Tate]

Ella punched Rhys' arm playfully, grinning at his playing hard to get. Of course, she wasn't exactly being serious.

Once on the ice, Ella glided pretty gracefully, watching as Rhys took a few shaky steps on the ice. His explanation was unnecessary but she gave him a smile and a nod anyway. "Need to hold on to my hand?" Ella grinned teasingly, not a trace of malice in her voice.

She did however simply took Rhys' hand as she skated forward to where there were less people. "You're pretty nimble on the ice." The dark haired recruiter commented with a smile.

[Rhys Rockwood]

Rhys rubbed his arm and laughed, feigning some hurt. "Look at that. Girl's got guns." He smiled, enjoying the carefree fun.

"Hmm, I think there might be a need to hold on to something. Hard to beat a hand." After his initial moments of instability, Rhys soon felt more comfortable on the ice, and he was skating along with Ella away from the more crowded space. "So what are we doing out here?" he asked as he tried to slide to a stop.

His attempt to stop backfired pretty abruptly, and Rhys suddenly found himself flat on his back looking up at the sky. He could feel the cold surface through his shirt but made no move to get up yet. "...okay, that really hurt."

[Ella Tate]

Flexing her arms ridiculously, Ella laughed at herself and dropped them immediately. "If I didn't, I might not be half as good at my job," she joked lightly as she glided across the ice with Rhys by her side.

"Oh nothing in particular. Just wanted to get away from the crowd." Ella shrugged, drawing lazy eights on the ice before witnessing an epic fall. She cringed before zipping up her jacket, bending over the younger recruiter, offering a hand.

"Dude, coolest wipeout ever." She gave a little smile, her hand still extended down to him.

[Rhys Rockwood]

Rhys laughed, wondering if the pun was intentional or not. "Yeah, it's pretty cold," he replied. Taking her hand, he started to pull himself up and was almost there when his skates decided they really didn't like being beneath him.

His back slammed into the ice again, and this time he pulled Ella down with him. He felt her hit his chest and started laughing at the hilarity of things as he looked up at her.

"I hope someone got this on video. It's just too funny to watch someone be unable to get up after falling on the ice," he said, grinning like an idiot. "You alright?" he asked to make sure.