dogs, dreams and a training lesson (guy)

[Guy LeGrange]

Guy noticed the panic, read it even through a dog's body language. Panic was panic was panic, after all. Yet he thought it might have something to do with Andrew sliding back to form, or possibly feeling like he couldn't shift back, which would be equally terrifying. Guy was surprised, however, to see the intelligence dim out of the dog's eyes. He stared for a few moments, holding his focus, noticing the very obvious mental shift, a dangerous mental shift. As soon as Guy noticed, he released entirely, hoping that Andrew's human mind overwhelmed the dog and slid right back into the driver's seat.

This seemed to be the case, and Guy had to hide the sigh of relief he could feel building up. His students didn't need to know that he could possibly make a mistake. So far he'd done quite well in hiding that from the vast majority of them. True, there were one or two that realized that their trainer was, in fact, human, if a short, mutant one, but overall, Guy liked to think that his aura of authority remained unchecked.

Didn't mean he shouldn't explain the situation. "I suppress powers,' he said, speaking clearly and slowly, wanting to give Andrew's mind something to latch onto, fight back against that panic. "Usually that means that people just can't do whatever it is that they do. Only one person at a time, and it takes my focus to push back against your ability. I'm guessing that's what happened with you: my ability temporarily suppressing your human side. Bit odd though; not a usual reaction," not one that Guy had ever seen before, in truth, but again, not something he wanted Andrew to know. He pulled out his phone, his fingers flying to enter data on it. he kept his attentions on Andrew too though, wanting to see how the young man handled everything. Guy didn't want to issue orders or anything, not yet, not until he was certain his student's mind was his own.

[Andrew Wylen]

Andrew took in mouthfuls of air, legs wobbling; threatening to give out, as his energy slowly began to return, coupled with a stream of thoughts and emotions as well. What just happened?! Why- what- how- I- he cast about fearfully, backing up half a step while his tail sank strait towards the ground in terrified manner. Then the teachers voice came, he spoke at a slow pronounced pace, though it helped, oddly enough, Andrew finding his muscles relaxing gradually, until he finally sat down again, tail giving a tentative wave.
‘Not a usual reaction’? Andrew wondered what that meant, for a moment, before that is, sounds of the man tapping away at his phone distracted him. It was a soft sound, yet somehow a lot sharper then he remembered it, he shook his head, yawned, stretched, front paws pushed out in front of him, tail lifted high, it felt good -even if he wasn’t quite sure why he had done it- then sat down again.

[Guy LeGrange]

Guy kept an eye on Andrew as the young boy/dog got used to his returning mind. It seemed almost as though Andrew had no clue that someone else had taken over, which would lead to a whole bevy of questions. None of those were the type that Guy could really ask while the boy was still a dog, however. So he settled for offering his explanation of his powers, hoping to soothe the boy's no doubt frazzled nerves a tic or two further.

The dog stretched and yawned, looking far too comfortable for Guy's liking. He clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth, but didn't feel as if he really needed to say all that much. No need to add further stress onto the poor kid, not that he hadn't been doing that already. "Why don't you sort of roam about and enjoy yourself?" he asked, gesturing about the room. "At least until you feel able to shift back. I can gather information from watching you in this form just as easily as asking questions, and since I'm guessing you're a little out of it at the moment, I'm willing to wait for you. Just this time though; you'd better be able to get it together better next time around."

Of course, Guy only partially meant that, but he certainly wasn't going to make that point clear for Andrew.

[Andrew Wylen]

Andrew looked up instantly as the teacher clicked his tongue, wow, what a strange sound; he almost wanted the man to do it again, just to hear the note reverberate back through the air- had he meant to be standing right at the instructors ankles? He didn’t think so, though, still, it didn’t hurt, he stayed. Cocking his head slightly to the side as the man spoke about roaming around, why hadn’t he thought about that? It sounded a lot more fun than just sitting here, in fact he didn’t even wait for the teacher to finish speaking before he was off, bolting across the room, his ears flopping back against his head, tongue lolling out. It felt great, why didn’t every one run like this? What was better than a dull wind flapping in your face, paws slipping across the floor haphazardly as if every step could send you tumbling? Didn’t everyone know what they were missing? He had no idea, but for just moment, the thought, that, perhaps, he wasn’t thinking quite right, passed by his mind. Then it was gone, quick as that, and he kept on running, circling the room, then again, then again, until he settled into a panting romp, tail swinging this way and that. Did he just jump onto guy’s chair? Maybe, he wasn’t quite sure, though what was that he smelled? Stomach giving a rumble, he leapt down again, scratching vigorously at a large brightly labeled bag that had sat to one side, really sinking his claws into it, sniffing, then going back to scratching at the bag.
He gave up on the plastic, bounding instead over to a chew toy that lay teetering on its pink rubber side, contently lying down as he chewed, mind spinning this way and that. He was exhausted, in fact the dog gave a long yawn, nearly going to sleep before another thought seemed to push its way through the cluttered mind, sharper, more precise, it felt like an wall had just come tumbling down... Andrew! I’m Andrew!

flame spread through the dog’s limbs, threads of pure pain working their way through its joints as all went black…

Andrew –the boy- slumped over, blinking, breath coming in gasps, his first realization was that he was completely naked, thankfully his clothes lay in a pile not too far away, from when he had first transformed, and he hurried to pull them on. His second realization, oh, please tell me that was just a really bad dream. He brought up a hand to his face, massaging his temple, a piece of pink rubber dropping from the corner of his mouth. Andrew looked down at it, feeling a sudden wave of nausea. Never mind.

[Guy LeGrange]

Guy hadn't quite known what to expect when he told Andrew to let loose. Maybe the kid/dog to sort of leap about and tackle some toys or something. Andrew did seem to do that, and more, roaming about and attacking things, even getting close to Guy at one point. The dwarf scooted out of the dog's way, mostly so he could keep a good eye on the youngster and make sure that nothing bad happened. That such a position allowed Guy to take excellent camera footage with his phone was really only something of an added bonus. He chuckled as he watched the dog/boy attacking the toy.

However, Guy lowered the phone as Andrew shifted. There were limits, and those limits entailed not taking video evidence of a young student while they shifted. Guy actually wouldn't do anything with anything he took either, besides perhaps show it back to the student years down the road, or form some sort of memory collage out of them. He didn't take any footage of the young man while he remained naked. Instead, Guy waited patiently, though with his eyes still on Andrew, which had to be unnerving in and of itself.

He did, however, raise his phone up to take a picture at the moment the plastic dropped. "And now we have your image in my roster," Guy said, not joking. He slid the phone back into his pocket and approached the young man. Guy paused for a moment to grab a bottle of water, holding it out for Andrew to take. "Take a few swigs, get your head together, and then tell me what happened in your own words."

[Andrew Wylen]

Andrew’s eyes shot up at the snap of a picture, just in time to see the instructor lower his cell phone and slide the device out of sight. He took a nervous gulp, glancing back and forth from between the piece of rubber and his own hand as the man walked closer speaking in a stern humorless voice. Well I guess I can always hope they don’t make it onto the internet Andrew thought, while none the less taking the bottle gratefully from the teacher. He drank three quarters of it without pause, before, with a sputter, gulped a breath of air, and downed what was left. When Andrew finally lowered the bottle he actually still felt a little thirsty, stomach giving a not-so-helpful rumble that made him turn a shade green at the thought of food.

What had happened? The instructor voiced Andrews own question perfectly, the only problem was he wasn’t sure himself. He remembered the transformation, or at least most of it, a bit was cloudy, and some? Well, some was just completely vacant from his mind, which was undeniably strange, though for the greater part he could recall Andrew couldn’t be sure of how to say it. Like how one feels after wearing shaded glasses for a long while, then takes them off, while you’re wearing them you don’t usually notice any difference until there gone and you see the world by how it actually looks, the sensation was kind of like that. He could remember it and now looking back, he had no idea why he would have done what he did, but even so, it had felt so completely ordinary at the time, even chewing the chew toy had felt like his decision when he had done it, they had been his own thoughts going through his head, or at least, they had seemed like his own, as for now, he didn't know what to think.
“I- I- I- uhm... It felt- normal? A- All of it- or some of it-“he began, quietly, not sure if he was making any sense whatsoever, but also unsure of how else to voice the feeling. “I- I was in control, f- for a bit, t- though I don’t think I even noticed most of the time w- when it wasn’t me-“ he looked up at the man, eyebrows curved desperately wondering if he could understand.

[Guy LeGrange]

That was normal? Guy arched his brows at that, unable to keep completely calm in the face of that information. He remembered everything he was in control of, and he'd apparently been in control for at least a part of it. That made sense to Guy; it at least reflected what he saw quite accurately. So there was quite a bit of nodding from the trainer in response. He tapped his phone to enter data instead.

"you lost control because of my ability," Guy reminded Andrew, nodding, "so don't beat yourself up over that. It's probably not something that will ever happen again," he paused for a bit, considering, weighing his various options carefully before continuing, "so you normally have control, and it's normally a slow, painful process for you. Do you normally have issues transforming back then?" this was certainly information that he needed to know. Were that the case, well, then Guy certainly knew what the focus of the next few sessions would be, that much was certain.

[Andrew Wylen]

The instructor nodded along with what Andrew said, seeming slightly surprised at first, but after that his face remained blank, fingers darting across the phone screen typing in what the boy could only guess were notes.
When he finished the man spoke, Andrew remaining quiet, one hand tapping the floor lightly, agitated by a renewed feeling of nervousness, remembering the sense of losing his thoughts- then, just, nothing… he couldn’t recall the rest until he had woken back panting as the pressure had released. Yes the teacher said it wasn’t his fault and that it probably wouldn’t happen again, though- Andrew couldn’t help but wondering, what if it did? Not by the instructor’s doing, he didn’t think the man would do that, at least not without good reason, but rather, what if he just simply lost control completely and he couldn’t get it back? What then? Would I just disappear? The prospect was rather terrifying and Andrew tried not to think about it as best he could, leaving him relieved when the man asked about transforming.
“I- I’ve only r- really done it once b- before- so I guess so? L- Last time it just kind of happened, but then- I didn’t even r- really know what was going on-s- so I’m not sure."

[Guy LeGrange]

Only done it once? Guy looked at Andrew, waiting patiently, making sure that he'd heard that correctly. Andrew kept going, stammering and working his way through things, explaining the last time it happened and what he'd thought that had meant and everything. Guy waited till Andrew finished, then waited a little longer, considering. This did happen from time to time, and they were usually the students that Guy ended up working with. Some students just weren't ready for their powers or didn't know how to use them properly or some combination of the two. Those were often the hardest to get prepared for this new life. Hence, Guy.

"You'll need to start using it regularly," he said, speaking gently, nodding. "I'm not saying you should go around transforming into a dog at the drop of a hat, but it's a skill, your skill, and if you don't use it, you'll never master it. You might not want to master it, probably not, considering," he gestured toward the chew toy that Andrew had just nommed. "But you need to. It's a skill, yes, but it's one that you're going to have regardless. It's much easier to ignore a skill and set it aside once you have it mastered. So consider that something of your homework. Try to willingly transform, oh, once a day or so, at least," Guy nodded. "it'll also help you get used to the pain."

Though Guy certainly hadn't wanted to mention that either. He really didn't see any alternative, unfortunately. He stared at Andrew now, wanting to see how well his words had sunk in, what effect they had and all.

[Andrew Wylen]

Andrew looked toward the teacher who seemed to be pondering something over in his mind. What it was the boy didn’t know, though soon enough, the man glanced back, giving a short incline of the head and spoke again.

Use it regularly? Andrew thought, surprised, he had barely managed to do it this once, and even then he had no idea how it had happened nor really why, or even how to turn back- or- or- anything. How can I do this every day? What if something goes wrong? What if I lose control again? Question after question fired through his mind, Andrew could just imagine transforming in the dorm room and accidently gnawing on the furniture legs, he figured an incident like that would be a little tough to explain.
The man continued, gesturing to the mangled chew toy nearby to which Andrew looked with a renewed tinge of red to his face, feeling a bit foolish at the instructor’s next words. The man was right, after all, he would still transform if he wanted to or not, it didn’t exactly comfort Andrew that much, but it was the truth, a truth that wasn’t going to change. Gaze faltering the boy simply gave a shy nod.

[Guy LeGrange]

Guy couldn't read minds, but years of doing his job had left him pretty savvy of teenager's facial expressions. he chuckled at Andrew's, nodding. "You don't have to worry about losing control or what have you. That happens from time to time, and you can always say it was for training. That... usually works," he smiled at that. He couldn't make students any sort of promises, since he didn't want to give the more rambunctious ones carte blanche to unleash holy hell upon their campus.

"And if you're ever stuck or worried, you can always contact one of the staff members. My door is quite often open as well," except when he was in a bar, but he certainly wasn't about to tell the young man that. Instead he just nodded, then folded his arms, tapping his fingers against himself. Was there anything else they needed to cover... Guy was fairly certain that they'd touched on everything thath ad weighed upon his mind...

[Andrew Wylen]

The teacher gave a light chuckle in response, lone strand of stray brown hair drooping in front of Andrew's eyes just as the man spoke once more. The boy gulped at the instructors words though sat listening, not entirely sure if his dorm mates would take that as a reasonable excuse, but still, it was better then nothing.

he looked down one last time at the piece of rubber when the teacher finished, before getting unsteadily on his feat, which, –to Andrews relief- did not crumple instantaneously beneath him.
“T- Thanks” he said, anxiety slowly beginning to ebb away from the boy’s voice as he stifled a sudden yawn, finding the muscles surprisingly sore. “a- and uhm- sorry about the bag” finished andrew, pointing back to the pitch yellow container now laying on its side near the chair with numerous white scratch marks clawed into its the plastic.

[Guy LeGrange]

"You're welcome," said Guy, obviously meaning every word. He kept a careful eye on the young man, seeing the yawn and everything. "And don't worry about the bag," Guy moved over to help escort Andrew out of the room. "You should probably go ahead and rest. If you need me to write you an excuse to skip classes or anything, let me know. Wouldn't be the first time I've done it, and it probably won't be the last."

Even for Andrew. Because this was simply the testing session. next time Guy would put the poor boy through worse paces. He was already wondering if he should lower that particular session's intensity a little, seeing how shook up the boy was now. He kept those thoughts to himself now, wanting to keep his focus on the young man. as soon as he was certain Andrew would be good enough to go off and lay down or what have you, then Guy could focus on reports and planning his next session. Oh, the training, how it kept going in cycles...

[Andrew Wylen]

Andrew kept pace with the instructor about all the way to the door, an amazing feat seeing as he felt tired enough to sleep through a small car crash. Only stopping in fact, to yank his bag up from where it lay, and pull it, awkwardly, over one shoulder, hurrying to catch up again, pant legs cuffing the floor.

The man peered at him with a scrutinizing eye, before offhandedly asking if the boy needed a break.

Yes! Every muscle in Andrew’s body screamed in unison, but then, he imagined the look his teachers would give him if he brought them a slip saying he needed time to rest, after accidently sleeping through practically every class as was. while it wasn't really entirely Andrew's fault that he couldn't sleep, he doubted that would help much, especially since he hadn't told anyone about it in the first place, and so reluctantly he said, not-quite-so-believably.
“N-no t- thanks, I- I’m- ah- fine, h- honestly feeling a lot better already” ending with a halfhearted smile that quickly collapsed under its own weight, Andrews eyes fell instead, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet.

[Guy LeGrange]

Guy sincerely doubted that Andrew was actually fine. He was tempted to say as much to the young man, but this was where he drew the line. He was Andrew's teacher and trainer, not his babysitter. Guy nodded, then waved dismissively at Andrew. "in that case, you should probably be off to whatever else it is you have. Classes, homework, chasing girls, that sort of thing. I have important grown-up things to do."

and he did, for that matter. He gathered up his things, nodded to Andrew, and then waited only long enough to confirm that the boy was at least capable of moving of his own will. As soon as all was confirmed, Guy headed off to do his own thing, leaving his student to his.

{end?}