[SB] Staff Members Are People Too

[Corey Spencer]

It had taken a while but Spence had finally been convinced to leave his medic bag in his room and go out in an attempt to enjoy himself in some way, shape or form.  The term 'fun' was one that he was familiar with in theory, but poorly lacking in knowledge of execution.  This wasn't to say the big man didn't have a sense of humor or was incapable of having a good time.  It was more that the sense of 'fun' one gets while surrounded by bored, mischievous, and terrifyingly creative soldiers with little actual supervision could be construed as unorthodox to those on the outside.

This was probably why Spence had resigned himself to a trip to the gym just before sundown and now found himself skipping the planned activities, the pool, and everything else that was presented to him and settled on a stool in the ship's bar.  It wasn't just his size that made him stick out like a sore thumb among the party goers and other revelry going on around him.  While shorts, sundresses, bikini tops and sandals made up the normal attire, even now with the sun having disappeared beyond the horizon, Spence was clad in a tight fighting, black t-shirt, dark blue cargo pants and a pair of black work boots. Even with a drink sitting in front of him, Spence couldn't shake the feeling of being on the job.  It was just his nature.  It would've felt weird to go out in anything less.  What if something should happen and he was ill prepared?  As is he wasn't all that comfortable among crowds, but he was working on that.

There was no use in sitting in silence while the party raged on around him.  Spence knew some of his fellow staffers were also floating around.  They seemed to take to the trip more as a break for themselves than the students, which he figured made sense.  With all the attention rightfully focused upon their pupils, it often got lost just how stressful being charged with their care and development could be.  He glanced to the nearest adult sitting at the bar and recognized them from in processing. It looked as though he wasn't the only member of the staff on board who was searching for some sort of relief via alcohol.  "Prop bet."  He said, breaking the relative silence.  "How many kids do you think we'll have to track down and drag back to the ship once we get to Mexico?"

[Tobias Croft]

This evening's Hawaiian offense to everything fashion holds dear featured a number of palm trees, in a repeating pattern in horrendously bright greens teamed with a very blue background of waves, with the man in it also wearing bright green cut off shorts and sandals. He lent against the wood of the bar's counter, this time swapping out his usual sunglasses for a rather more festive pair also featuring garishly coloured palm trees either side of the frames in shades of neon; Well, at least you couldn't say he didn't continue a theme through.

He raised an eyebrow at the other loud revellers in the crowd, giving the people present a quick studying gaze; as much as he was very much being swept up in the whole party atmosphere, the students were still under his care and still his priority. Thankfully so far it didn't seem as though anything requiring his authority as a trainer was occurring; The students, despite their tendency for drama and bickering among themselves, seemed quite well behaved. Well, as well behaved as young adults on an all expenses paid venture could be, but at least everyone seemed to be getting along for the most part.
With a grin, Toby shifted his attention towards the drink that had just been placed on the bar beside him, giving a polite nod to the bartender in thanks before taking it in hand; It was a tall, brightly coloured fruit decorated thing featuring an umbrella that had been showcased as the "drink of the day". Toby hadn't even checked what was in it, it looked appealing and that was good enough for him.

He sipped the fruity concoction through a straw as he glanced to the side of him, blinking behind his sunglasses at his hulk of a roommate who finally seemed to have dropped the gym for the time being and was actually, at least it looked it, attempting to join in. Well, he had a way to go in Toby's opinion, but he was clearly making an effort, and Toby had to give the guy kudos for that. He was about to speak when Spence chipped in first, his comment making the trainer grin. "... My guess is about... Twenty. Plus about five arrested for being drink and disorderly," He responded with a laugh. "Well, when Bellefonte parties it REALLY parties. Wait until prom, it's pretty much like this but with more tuxes. Makes the drunken antics looks a little classier at least."

[Farah Malikah]

It was hard not to appreciate the given opportunity to take some time away from the school, even if the school was also taking some time away as a whole. To say one couldn't call it a vacation while still being on the job was ridiculous. Her now amazing tan and relaxed muscles didn't just happen on it's own and you didn't have to be a scientist to know that she was able to gather up more than enough time to give herself some peace and relaxation.

Well, now that was over, her focus was back on the grand room of the younger crowd socializing and partying their lives away. A scene that she had taken part in not too long ago but at the same time it felt as if it had been forever. Now she was on the sidelines just watching and waiting, waiting and watching and even smiling and waving at a few other friendlier students from across the way.

Her eyes then spotted a few other staff members near the bar, which sounded like a great idea right about now. A drink. She needed a drink. Okay maybe two.

Making her way towards the bar, Farah could be seen in a flowery sleeveless sun dress as her hair stayed up in the neatest bun she could possibly manage. Which wasn't very neat at all. She leaned against the bar and turned her head to smile at the two gentlemen, not realizing that they had been having a conversation before she arrived. "Is this the staff meeting? Where we all pretend to do our jobs but instead indulge in alcohol?" Only joking, of course. "What are you fellas having?"

It was seldom that she had the opportunity to chitchat with a few other staff when it didn't have to do with relaying messages and the such to them from the main office. That and she was pretty sure last time she spoke with Tobias was when he had a arm full of her donuts.

[Corey Spencer]

Spence's eyes shifted toward Tobias and he issued a faint chuckle. He'd heard some of the horror stories the other staffers had about the students and their antics. He assumed it just came with the territory. Take a bunch of kids from all walks of life, remove them from their homes and throw them into a campus in the middle of nowhere, add fantastic and often dangerous mutations and you were bound to have a difficult time keeping the peace. "And if we chain them in the engine room, we're the bad guys." He responded with a bit of a smirk.

Sitting at a bar and talking casually wasn't something Spence had managed to feel comfortable with yet. He hadn't been in country long and the process to get him back into the Academy was quick. He'd hardly had time to breathe, let alone force himself to acclimate to an environment that had taken years to get used to before. Still, the effort was there. This was his new life and he was well aware he couldn't go at it alone. It wouldn't pay for the staff members and students to fear one of the school nurses, after all.

Spence glanced at the newcomer and gave her a short once over before nodding. "You've got the right place." He said, lifting the glass to his lips. He'd briefly met the office receptionist during his in-processing. The sheer amount of paperwork that went into his transition from the US Army to the Academy (while still maintaining a legal agreement with the school that Spence would remain 'on call' in case he was needed) made him admire the dedication of the slender young woman standing before him.

"We were just discussing the need for preemptive action to keep all the kids from running wild once we reach Mexico." He offered with a chuckle before shrugging his broad shoulders and downing the remaining contents of his glass. "I think we were just about to order a round of shots." He said coolly, casting a glance in Tobias' direction.

If Spence was going to do this, he was going to do it right.

[Charity Croft]

"Oh yay, alcohol!" said Charity Legrange as she nearly sprinted to where the other teachers were. She tried not to look too relieved at seeing that most of the ones there were the ones that were actually closer to her in age. Not that Charity minded working with the twenty-somethings that seemed to dominate the staff, but it was definitely nice to see someone else who had hit the whole thirty bump, and she recognized, well, everybody.

But for now: "Gimme something strong and fruity," Charity said to the bartender, waving her arm. She looked frazzled, to say the least. Her hair was a mess, her outfit had seen better days. She paused, looking over. "Wait, did someone say something about Mexico? Oh God, can I call not it on having to follow McCarthy or Cox around? Please?" she looked at the bartender and gave him puppy dog eyes. The drink being made, Charity looked back around.

Yep, definitely people she recognized: Farah her roommate from back home, Toby the cat guy, and Spense the, uh, well, the "lot of man guy."

Yep, Charity was definitely going to need booze.

[Bell Connelly]

Of course Bell was among the first people to sign up for the trip, A chance to travel to a beautiful city and take in mass scenery of the sheer size of the shimmering glittering ocean? Just try to stop Bell from attending.

Unfortunately for her having the skin tone of casper the friendly ghost doesn’t lend itself well to spending time in the Mexican sun. In the first day alone she practically had to crawl to her bed room, looking like she was slapped all over his skin with the pure heat of it all, skin nicely roasted.

Lesson learned.

But ever since the rocky start she had been careful to stay out of the sun and she found she was having a far more enjoyable time and her mood was only improving when she made her way towards the rest of the staff, not that she was a big drinking but she enjoyed the conversations plus two of her friends were there; Corey the man that has so nicely fixed her knee and Charity the woman that had seduced her sweet tooth with muffins.

“Oh, I’m not worried about Frank” She joined after waving warmly at the group “The worse she can do is, try and make the world’s biggest taco, or try and put a piñata in every room” Bell’s raised her hand and waved it lightly “Excuse me, do you serve Orange Juice?”

[Tobias Croft]

Toby raised his drink to his roommate's comment with a "Here, here!" declaration of approval; Not that he would actually condone chaining up students in the engine room to prevent them from further Mexican mischief... At least, not all of them. Frankly Toby was surprised the ship had managed to stay afloat this long with the amount of highly charged partying people on board with powers... Although granted whatever damage was caused, Bellefonte likely paid the bill. Well, as long as it wasn't coming out of Toby's paycheque and that all involved were unharmed, what was wrong with a few chaotic antics?

Toby grinned at his roommate's smirk, and took a long sip of his brightly coloured beverage; He was enjoying this, being able to spend time with his fellow staff members in a fairly relaxed environment; It was the bonding activity he'd needed... Since his introduction into the school's facility had only been a month or so pior to this holiday, he hadn't many chances before now to really make any attempts at forming friendships.
The trainer then however raised a brow as a female approached the bar, one he recognised as the previous owner of various doughnuts he'd so expertly stolen from their temptingly placed box in reception. Toby offered her a slightly sheepish grin, before taking a further sip from his drink. He however then paused, slowly shifting his gaze back to the hulk of a man beside him, his smile stretching into a large grin of delight. He raised his free hand and pulled his palm tree sunglasses down the bridge of his nose, to better look at the man. "Oh you are ON," He replied with enthusiasm at Spence's suggestion of shots.

Before they could so much as place an order however, a further two members of Bellefonte facility also seemed to have decided that the bar was far too tempting to pass up, joining their little bar party. Charity, the pretty cat lady, and... Someone he recognised but did not know. A young woman, whom he was certain was a teacher.
"I hope you lovely ladies will be joining us for shots?" He grinned brightly at the three of them, deciding to move his sunglasses to the top of his head before gesturing to Spence. "If you think you can keep up with me and Spency here."

[Corey Spencer]

'Spency'?

Spence's eyes snapped toward Tobias in a manner that could have, if not for the wide grin that was spreading across the big man's face, been mistaken for displeasure. In truth, Spence was actually pleasantly surprised that he'd already garnered somewhat of a nickname, even if there was no way in hell he'd let it stick. One of the hardest things for an ex-soldier to cope with was the loss of camaraderie and the sense of brotherhood that defined their daily lives. Spence had his own concerns about making the transition back to being an authority figure for children, but the ease in which the group of staffers had welcomed him into the fold was disarming.

"Oh, no." He said, turning the grin toward the trio of young women who'd shown up to the impromptu gathering. "No orange juice unless it's mixed with something stronger." Already the bartender was laying out a row of thick, clear shot glasses. Spence glanced to the man behind the bar and nodded, prompting three more to join the ones presumably for himself and Tobias. "We're going to do this the old Army way." He insisted, a finger tapping against the bar top for emphasis. "Which means we go until one of us passes out." He eyed the clear liquid as it was poured into the glasses. "Then we keep going." Slowly, systematically he lifted each of the glasses to set them in front of the four other staff members before claiming one for himself.

Spence had gathered having to deal with a horde of hormone crazed, super-powered teenagers who were sometimes far from home without strangling any of them was a task of monumental proportions. No, they weren't scouring a mountain range in the Middle East looking for bad guys, but the staff members of Bellefonte were waging a war all their own in the forests of Montana. It made sense that there would be a sense of camaraderie and brotherhood among them, even for the new comers. Theirs was a thankless and tireless job and, dammit, the deserved a night where they could let loose themselves.

"No one." Spence systematically eyed his new co-workers one by one. "Backs." The stern look in his gaze was countered by the suddenly relaxed grin that tugged at the corner of his lips. "Out." Thankfully, Spence wasn't the type of man most people could say no to. He gave the four another look before speaking. "I'm the newcomer here." He said. "But I know the work everyone at the Academy puts in. This is for you guys." He lifted his glass and promptly knocked back the shot.

[Charity Croft]

Charity tried not to look excited about being included in the whole adult drinking thing. Normal adults definitely didn't look excited at the prospect of hanging out with fellow adults and drinking and such. Charity wasn't great at suppressing her emotions though, which is why she was beaming as she grabbed her latest ordered drink and scooted a little closer to where everyone was.

"I'm so down for shots! Though, uh," Charity bobbed, "probably not that many?" She grimaced, pulling a face. "I get a little... singy when I'm buzzed," she gestured with the hand holding her current drink, "so unless you all want to hear a drunk version of 'Twinkle Twinkle,' then I should probably only do a---"

But Spence was talking, and had the whole commanding badass army dude thing going for him. Charity felt her mouth closing and she looked to him. His comment had her grinning. "Hey, that's right," she turned and nudged Toby, "that means he totally takes your new guy crown."

Then Charity took another drink, thoroughly glad that she was now more senior than at least two of the staffers at the school. Moving on up. Now she just had to worry about being outranked by a cat.