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By the time the bell signalling the start of late morning classes blared through the hallways of Bellefonte Academy most of the staff members were eyeing the back half of their respective work days. For Kyle Foster, the last period before the Academy adjourned for lunch marked the beginning. With dark sunglasses covering his face Kyle shuffled into the Academy administration building with a large, banged up metal Thermos in hand. After a passive wave toward the receptionist, Kyle made his way toward the staff lounge. Before the door to the lounge had even swung closed behind him Kyle was at the coffee pot set up in the far corner to refill his Thermos. Once that had been taken care of Kyle slumped into the nearest chair and yawned, bringing the Thermos up and taking a heavy pull from it.
Kyle sat for the next few minutes, losing himself within his own clouded mind. He scanned the empty staff lounge from behind his dark sunglasses before glancing at the clock on the wall. He still had over half an hour before his appointment with one of the students. Why in the hell did he drag himself out of bed so goddamn early? A discontented grunt escaped the counselor as he leaned back, bringing his sneakered feet up to rest on the table. Within mere moments his head dropped, chin nearly resting against his chest as the long, taxing night (or morning, if you wanted to get specific) of heavy drinking had caught up with him and lulled him into a light, yet satisfying sleep.
Gina wasn't OCD, but she did like things to be done a particular way. Her schedule was carefully coordinated so her mornings were mostly planning periods and one one one sessions with the more gifted musicians in the school. Thus, the staff lounge was usually empty or very sparse when she usually lingered there. The quiet was welcome and one of the few places she could seek peace when not at home. She had tried the whole ear plug bit and hated it, so Gina just took her quiet time where she could get it.
This morning was being spent like most of her mornings when there were not pressing matters- reading. She was reading her way through Pride and Prejudiced for the umpteenth time. When Kyle showed up, light brown eyes tracked his movements. More specifically, the sound waves that followed his movements.
An amused smirk played at her lips as she watched Kyle drift off. She didn't know him extremely well - only that he aided the newer students in adjusting to things. They'd said hello in passing once or twice she was sure. She didn't purposely wait until he was drifting off right? It was just a coincidence - had to be. "Good morning Mr. Foster." Gina spoke in an accented English, exposing her Italian roots. She moved her bookmark and closed the well-worn book, light brown eyes watching him with a touch of curiosity.
Kyle Foster
I survive entirely on hate and caffeine... sometimes whiskey
The exclamation of surprise as a result of the woman's voice was immediately followed by a grunt of annoyance. Kyle's head tilted just so, bringing his sunglasses clad gaze to bear upon his fellow staffer. He looked at her for a long moment as his fuzzy brain attempted to remember her name. When he drew a blank he resorted to the time tested solution to a hangover: caffeine. He scooped the Thermos off the table and leaned back, nearly killing the contents in one go before pulling his feet down and leaning forward, elbows coming to rest upon the table. Progressing age and civilian life, it seemed, were catching up to him.
"Hey..." He mumbled, trailing off a bit. Using first names was still weird and alien to him and he'd seen Gina's last name on staff manifests so attempting to pronounce that on the regular wasn't something Kyle felt like doing. "What's up?" He asked, yawning loudly. "I wasn't snoring, was I?"
Gina looked amused, but supressed a chuckle at Kyle's exclaimation. "I am doing well. It's a beautiful morning." She smiled a touch as she shifted to focus on him a little better and study him. He wasn't too much older than her by the looks of it, she vaguely recalled him having a military background. He gave off the air of ex-military at least, with his posture and just the aura about him even if he was half asleep.
"I'm sorry for waking you, it was unintentional." She gave a nod, mildly impressed at how he downed the contents of his thermos. "Oh no, no snoring to be heard today. Did you have a late night?" Her eyebrow arched ever so slightly. She tried to maintain some kind of polite eye contact but her gaze drifted every so often to the sound waves milling about the room and emitting from them. It was mildly annoying for her sometimes that even after all these years she couldn't completely block them out from time to time.
Kyle Foster
I survive entirely on hate and caffeine... sometimes whiskey
Kyle waved a hand dismissively at Gina's apology. It wasn't as if he'd meant to fall asleep in the staff lounge, let alone do so right in front of her. If anything the little surprise served to clear his mind a bit and wake up him up, something that should be praised, not apologized for. "You could say that." He answered before getting to his feet to pace a couple laps across the floor. He was here for a reason, after all, and had just a few precious minutes to clear up before his next appointment.
"How about you?" Kyle then busied himself with starting a fresh batch of coffee. He glanced over his shoulder to the teacher sitting nearby and offered a polite smile from behind his sunglasses. "I can tell just by looking at you the morning hasn't shit on you like it has me." A yawn punctuated that fact as he turned his attention back to the coffee maker. "You teach..." His hangover addled mind cycled through the sparse conversations the two Academy staffers had shared in the past. "Music, right? How's that working out?"
She shook her head at the question of the late night. "Oh no, I don't have many late nights anymore unless I am grading papers." She chuckled. Perhaps betraying that the Music teacher didn't get out much, but it didn't seem to phase her any. She gave a little wave of her hand. "I have always been a morning person - it is both a blessing and a curse." Gina admitted with a smile as she looked over to him at the coffee maker.
"That's right, I do. I think it is working out well. At least I have not heard any complaints from anyone." She ran a hand through her hair. "We actually have a few naturally talented musicians among the students, it's nice to see." Gifted, is what people would normally call it but, here at Bellefonte, that word took on many different meanings. "And I understand you assist in helping the new students adjust to the school? What all does that entail?"
Kyle Foster
I survive entirely on hate and caffeine... sometimes whiskey
"Really?" There was a hint of disbelief in Kyle's voice as he once again glanced over his shoulder. She didn't look that old. Surely not so much so that she would be blamed for enjoying a night out now and again. Of course he hadn't taken the normal path through to adulthood and in many ways he was still getting accustomed to being away from the strict rules and guidelines that had dictated much of his former career. "That doesn't sound like fun." He pulled the pot from the coffee maker and poured a few cups worth into his Thermos before moving to sit at the table across from Gina. "You know what they say." He lifted the Thermos, brow furrowing as he tested the coffee, quickly coming to the decision he should wait for it to cool before continuing. "Is boring as hell." He finished.
"Yeah?" Kyle perked up a bit at the talk of Gina's students. "You teaching any future Beibers?" He paused, thought a moment then added. "Or whatever the hell the kids are listening to these days." He shrugged, waving a hand dismissively. It wasn't as if he knew much on the subject. He'd dabbled with a guitar during a couple of his deployments though that was the extent of his musical experience.
"Well, who'd a thought taking kids away from their homes after what's usually the single most traumatizing event in their lives would be enough of a problem to need an entire staff position dedicated to it?" Kyle presented the question without any hint of sarcasm or ire. He knew a thing or two about being sent off all over the world and it never ceased to be stressful and he'd volunteered. "Basically I take the kids in, show them around, help them get used to being different and away from home." A hand fished a tiny, plastic bottle from his pants pocket and he unscrewed the lid and poured the contents into the Thermos. "I give them a friendly face to go to when they have trouble adjusting. Sort of a mentorship program, I guess."
"Perhaps, though I am hardly ever bored." Gina smiled, lightly tapping her book. Maybe she was ever so slightly paranoid about going out and letting loose. Letting her guard down for a minute like that might not be the best considering her situation. She wasn't about to launch in to that whole headache though, especially when she barely knew the man. Gina pushed the thoughts back, though the smile remained on her lips. "And I favor quiet over a club or some such any day of the week." So said her sensitive hearing. It could be a hassle if she wasn't prepared.
She chuckled at the mention of future Beibers. "Not Beibers, but maybe the next Phil Rudds or Jimi Hendrixes. A lot of it is just getting out of your own head, not over thinking things and just starting out by playing whatever comes to your mind." Gina mused, shifting a bit in her seat. "Once you've gotten over that - everything else can be a piece of cake as they say."
Gina listened at Kyle explained his role in the school. "I think that what you do is honestly such a vital thing here. I went to St. Bethany's in England and they had counselors and older students who would help but I don't recall a position quite like that. Though it's possible they've added some. I haven't been there in some time." She tapped her chin lightly, pondering on that a moment. St. Bethany's had not been her favorite place in the world, but she was grateful now for what they had been able to teach her before she tried to strike out on her own. Ironic perhaps, that she had ended up right back at school. Her gaze followed as he poured he contents of the little bottle into the Thermos. The little plink. plink. sort of notes that followed the sound of liquid being poured into other liquid. "A lot of students have trouble coming to grips with it all. It's a literal, life changing experience."
Kyle Foster
I survive entirely on hate and caffeine... sometimes whiskey
"Eh." Kyle waved a hand dismissively. "The club scene is overrated." He spoke from experience, naturally, having seen his share of all manner of such establishments around the world. Maybe his life was far from what could be called 'quiet' but that didn't mean he sought out the stuffy, annoying confines usually found within clubs. "Large groups of people and I don't mix." The last comment came out in a bit of a mumble as he brought the Thermos up and took another drink.
Kyle paused a moment at Gina's reply. No Beibers but possibly some shades of Hendrix? That was obviously something he hadn't expected to hear. "Well fuck yeah." Came his encouraged retort. "That sounds pretty badass." He paused for another pull from the Thermos. "You ever have a student go on to anything big? Are you the driving force behind some big rock band or anything?" The question came with a hint of a smirk. It was only partially in jest, though, as Kyle found himself far more curious about the workings of a music class than he would've thought.
The pouring of the small plastic bottle into the Thermos seemed to elicit... something in Gina that caught Kyle's attention. His power kicked in of its own volition making the world around him seem to slow down and snap into sharp focus. He became acutely aware of every tiny nuance in Gina's nearly imperceptible reaction. The way her eyes flicked toward the Thermos as the liquid was poured into it. How the sound, not the act itself was what resonated with her.
In an instant the world returned to normal. Even after so many years of living with the mutation it could still catch him off guard. He blinked a couple times, shaking the cobwebs from his mind before offering an almost apologetic smile. "Sorry about that." He cleared his throat and went to the Thermos as a way to buy a few more seconds to gather himself. "Yeah, it'd be bad enough to have a bunch of hormonal teenagers away from home from the first time but add in super powers and I'm amazed this place doesn't get leveled every six months."
