Well, That Is Embarrassing

[Charity Croft]

"You know," Charity said, gesturing in a sort of vague manner, "the... adult thing. Being responsible, being a contributing member of society... not being a kid?" Charity didn't really know how else to explain it, really, and she knew that her explanation wasn't nearly as explanatory as it probably should have been. She was already wincing and she didn't want to try and embarrass herself further still. Surely what she'd given had been enough for Tam to more or less understand things? Okay, yeah, it was sort of lacking in specifics, but all Charity could think about right then was paying taxes and voting and those two thoughts would just not leave her mind.

At least she could keep going. She did that easily enough, finding the jewelry shop easily enough. By then Charity figured that she'd more or less gotten invested in the whole thing and should at least see it through. Plus, this was her chance to try something like bonding with someone relatively close to her age. She couldn't very well pass that up.

"Ah, right, that," Charity said. She laced her hands behind her back and rocked on her heels. "Uh, I was actually window shopping for... furniture and stuff?" Charity said, and the wince came back. "I'm hoping to get a new place soonish, so I'm kinda jumping the gun and looking for stuff I'd love to fill it with. Someday," she shrugged and looked back around the jewelry shop. "We should probably get someone's attention or something, right?" She was already gesturing, figuring that she might as well continue the whole helping thing. It had worked well so far.

[Tamara Sulik]

“I know a lot of people who missed on the adult thing too. More than you do,” Tamara let out once Charity explained what she meant. She could argue that by being a trainer, she must have a lot of responsibilities and that she did contribute to the society by helping kids learn to control and work on their abilities. As for being a kid... Tamara was not really one and wondered if she had ever been a kid in the sense Charity seemed to believe she was. But she had meant enough adults who acted in dumber ways than what ‘kids’ did not to mind that someone might have what you would call a child’s heart. There was a difference between that and being immature. She thought Charity would fall more in the first category but she didn’t know the woman all that well, so maybe her opinion might change over time.

She explained what she had been looking but something about her sounded almost embarrassed of this. Tam didn’t see why as there wasn’t anything shameful in looking for furniture, even if everything she liked turned out too expensive for her. “Are you residing at the school right now?” Tamara often thought about having a place of her own as well. It was mostly her independent self that could not take being at the school’s disposal 24/7 by living there. But she then thought that her son would be here one day and even if having your mother with you at all times was something embarrassing for any child, especially a teenager, she still wondered if it would not be simpler for them both to live at Bellefonte. Then again, she wouldn’t be the one making him breakfast or having one on one time with him since they would be in different dorms. It was all so complicated.

She stopped thinking about apartments and her dorm issues when Charity brought her back to a more current one: her necklace and the fact she needed someone to take a look at it. “You’re right,” she admitted. Not being the kind to wait by the side for someone to come to her, she went straight to a man working there and explained her problem. She was not really surprised he would try and sell her another chain, but she insisted on knowing if it could be fixed and how much that would cost. She didn't pay much attention to Charity as she dealt with this. She only turned her attention back to her once it was done, a little surprised she was still there, to be honest. “Thank you for your help,” she told her. She knew she would have found this place on her own too but she had been here and she wouldn’t just dismiss her help.

[Charity Croft]

A lot of people? Charity wasn't sure that Tamara was being honest there. Something about the way she said it and the whole look on her face convinced Charity that it had more to do with pity and, well, charity than anything else. The trainer wasn't going to say or do anything about it though: she appreciated the gesture. So just a smile and some more walking.

"Yep, live in staff dorms," Charity provided, adding a slight smack of the lips. "So it really is like being thirteen all over again, except my roommates aren't quite as messy," though in fact Charity had gotten off fairly easily when it came to the roommates: things could have been a good deal worse than they actually were. She was tempted to ask again what Tamara did for the school, since the other woman sounded like she didn't actually live there herself. Then again, she might just have some sort of arrangement where she only stayed at the school a certain number of hours a week or something along those lines.

All such thoughts and topics would be put on hold while they worked on getting the necklace fixed. Charity had waved someone down and Tamara seemed to be doing a pretty good job of getting things together there. Charity took the opportunity to sort of wander around, staring at the various ornaments and wondering if she'd ever meet someone who would buy her stuff like that. She almost jerked up when she heard Tamara again. "What? No, it's cool, really," Charity added a slight laugh. "not like you wouldn't have found the place yourself. You know," Charity smiled at the other woman, "you're really nice. Always great to meet someone like you."

[Tamara Sulik]

Since Charity said nothing about her comment, Tamara was not to add anything. She understood that the way Charity saw the ‘adult thing’ might not be the same way Tamara did but who really cared in the end. How do you become an adult was just one of those questions you couldn’t really find an answer to, like what is the meaning of love, is there another form of life in the universe or how can they make cheese out of orange plastic. She’d rather not go through those philosophical questions. Not without a few glasses of wine first because that really was the only reason why two people would bother trying to find answers to those questions.

So she lived at the school. She might have bumped into her there then. “I do to. It’s... more convenient like this. For now.” The importance being for now for she was thinking having a place of her own when her son will join would be best, especially if she wanted to spend some time with him. There would be a lot to catch up on. After all, a few discussions through Skype were not enough. She focused on Charity however, as she didn’t want her mind to go there. “Good for you. The teenagers are not the only ones who can be messy,” she replied. Even some adults didn’t know the principles of sharing common spaces with others. But Tamara was a lot less involved in those fights.

She let Charity do her own things, too occupied as she was with the repair of her necklace. The other woman stayed here however so she wouldn’t have to just chase after her at school to thank her later on. It was true that Tamara could have found this place on her own. It was not that hard after all. Even if you didn’t want to look at a map, if she had just wandered off in the shopping mall, she would have found the place eventually. “That’s true but you still helped even if you didn’t have to,” she pointed out. After all, if Charity claimed Tam could have found the place on her own, that meant she had no reason to help. Even more so since she was not responsible for the breaking of the clasp. She was a little surprised though when Charity claimed she was a nice person. It was not something she heard a lot. “Thank you,” she said after a moment of reflection. “So are you. I hope you find the furniture you want. If there’s nothing here, you might want to look for second-hand. I know some people look down on those stuff but you can find some pretty nice pieces there.”

[Charity Croft]

Yeah, it was definitely convenient. "Convenient, yeah, but not really, like," Charity started to gesture but then realized that technically Tamara had chosen to stay at the school for whatever reason. The trainer let her hands drop, figuring that it probably wasn't a good idea to really press the issue, at least for right now. There was enough to discuss without lingering on the little thing like living at the school or whatever.

If Tamara was wondering why people thought she was nice though, she needed look no further than the comment she made, almost off-hand, about how sometimes adults could be messy too. Charity flashed a thankful smile at that, before making sure to wander off enough so that Tamara could talk with the workers there and get things together and all that jazz.

Then there was pulling back and Charity was standing besides Tamara. "Nah, anyone would have done that," Charity said, adding a slight shrug. "But you're welcome, anyway. And I'm definitely going to check out secondhand stores when I actually try to find some stuff," Charity nodded again, then jerked her head and a thumb. "Did you want to maybe get a quick drink after this? Not, like, alcoholic or anything. like an Orange Julius," Charity paused again, before quickly adding: "I'm not trying to ask you out or anything, just, like, if you were wondering."

Why couldn't conversations just come with clear options to pick from?

[Tamara Sulik]

Convenient but not really… Tamara could understand what Charity meant to say here. “Yes, I know. But you’re a trainer, your schedule is about the same as the teachers here. I sometimes have to work until after curfew and then be ready the next morning. Convenient is better for me than it is for you,” she pointed out. The key here resided in their job being pretty different from one another. Sure, they both worked at Bellefonte and with the children but not in the same way and it did not require the same from one another.

She did not mean to ignore Charity’s smile but Tamara did not notice how grateful the woman seemed to be by her words. She was too busy dealing with the guy working at the jewelry shop and having her necklace checked to really pay attention to that. When she came back to Charity and she insisted that anyone could have helped her, Tamara seriously doubted it. People tended to care more about themselves. If someone didn’t really need their help, they would not give it. Or not that way. Charity could have just pointed in the direction she believed the shop to be, or towards the map for Tam to check it there. But if Charity wanted to say it was nothing, Tam would not argue. False modesty was not her thing, nor was satisfying those for who it was.

She nodded as Charity said she would check second-hand shops. She figured they were done but the woman asked her for a drink. Only to then ramble about it not being some way to get alcohol or to ask her out, just to have a drink. “Sure, why not. I can take a break from window shopping and I’ guessing so can you,” she agreed after a moment. She had been tempted to say no. She was not obligated to say yes. But she ended up agreeing to it anyway. Maybe she just felt the need to speak to an adult, even one who acted a bit like a child.

[Charity Croft]

Okay, so it sounded like Tamara at least sort of got it. The acceptance made Charity feel a good deal more relaxed than she'd even been before. Maybe she should just stop overthinking everything and just roll with it. Even if she messed up, Tamara seemed willing enough to go along with it. Maybe that was the real secret: there wasn't a script to the whole adult conversation thing, or at least, not all of them. So nobody cared if you went off book.

There was a bit of silence while Charity contemplated that and watched Tamara get her jewelry fixed. She'd already waved off the various employees, leaving Charity pretty well to stand there and just sort of watch for the time being. Then she could manage her offer and was almost surprised to hear Tamara agreeing. At least Charity pulled short of actually doing a real dance of victory.

"Awesome, well, food court's this way," Charity said, before gesturing toward it. She turned to head that way, only to pause for a moment. "Almost forgot: do we, like, got to wait for them to finish? Or is that something we go and come back for or...?" Because that had been why they were there. When they finished, then they could go get drinks. Probably Orange Julius, but Charity wasn't exactly going to stick too religiously to that.

[Tamara Sulik]

Maybe it was the fact that Tamara spent way too much time surrounded by kids that allowed her to go along with Charity. Then again, she was not sure if it was that Charity had the conversation topics of teenagers or that she simply kept her inner child alive. Tamara sometimes wondered if she ever had an inner child. She had an adventurous side, she knew that. It was the one that made the trip to America possible. Maybe the two were connected, she didn’t know. After all, she believed that reckless, adventurous side of hers had always been there.

At first, when Charity paused and asked her questions, she didn’t get what she meant. She had dealt with the whole thing and did not think about the fact Charity chose to keep a distance between them during that time. “It’s all fixed, they changed the clasp,” she told her, showing her that she was wearing her necklace. A part of her was surprised she thought that, assuming it had been obvious, but she reminded herself that Charity did not listen to their conversation and probably had other places to look than Tamara’s neck.

Tamara was not all that tempted by Charity’s choice of beverage but there never was only one in sale and she just wanted something to drink before heading back. No need to say she was in no hurry to return to school. “Will you be heading back to school after that or you still have some searching to do?”

[Charity Croft]

Charity looked as Tamara showed the necklace, bobbing her head to show her pleasure at the situation. Totally cool that they managed to get that thing fixed so quickly, and she was almost tempted to say as much. But she figured it was best to look forward, to focus on the whole getting a drink thing and heading that way.

"Well, probably head back,' Charity admitted, pulling a slightly abashed face as she did, her lips twisting slightly. "I'm kinda avoiding some of the work and stuff I have. Seems like there's always folders to look through or some kind of organization I should be working with or on or some student in need of something," Charity added a shrug. It was what she'd picked to do, after all. Stupid to argue too much about it.

They'd entered the food court proper, with Charity looking around for a bit. She pointed. "I think I'm going to opt for the Orange Julius, but, well, probably something with Strawberry or something," she looked back at Tamara. "I know it's nearly a cliche, but I kinda like the sweet drinks and all. What about you? I'm guessing coffee or something, right?" That just seemed to fit Tamara, really, if Charity was any judge of such things.

[Tamara Sulik]

It was not like Tamara really cared what Charity would do after this. But she was also not entirely rude. She didn't think she even was, just maybe a bit blunt. Not enough however to walk with Charity without talking to her or asking her questions like this. It was just small talk and Tamara nodded. She personally thought about doing the same thing, even if she was tempted to stay here a little while longer or at least not at the school. It was nice not to have any kids to look after and deal with them.

If the fact Charity was slacking affected her in any way, she hid it well. Especially if it was about folders and organization. “I can get that. When was the last time you had a day of break?” They were always there. Well, Charity intended to leave soon so she’ll have some free time of her own. But they might just say this was reason enough not to give her more vacation. They might not be that bad but this was the first job Tamara had where she stayed more than a few months. Even now she was ready to say they wanted them to work 24/7 and she’d been working there long enough to know what the deal really was. For someone like her however who couldn’t stand feeling trapped somewhere, it kind felt like it.

“Coffee, yes,” she agreed, not paying too much attention though at exactly what it was that Charity wanted. She looked at the woman. “I do like it. Black, even. I’ve never been too much into sweet stuff personally. More like salty or spicy things. But that’s food, in drinks, I usually take coffee or just water. We are still not talking alcohol, right?” She pointed at the place Charity wanted to go, figuring she could get coffee at about half the places around here. If not, she could definitely get some water.

[Charity Croft]

Charity actually had to pause and tilt her head at Tamara's question. She kept moving, walking toward the shop and all, but she had to be silent while she stopped to think about it. "I'm not... sure?" Charity admitted. She'd surely had a few Sundays here and there, but those days so often became "do all the laundry and just sort of pass out" that she didn't know if they really counted as breaks, at least, not like this. Between the training and other faculty duties and the volunteer work... Charity really didn't have a whole lot of time. It definitely didn't help that she still lived there too.

Ugh.

Coffee, and of course, not into sweets. "Probably not," Charity said, "talking about alcohol, I mean. I'm absolutely awful when it comes to that. Like, it's not even girly drinks, it's super girly drinks. If it's a slushie or flavored like chocolate or fizzing and alcoholic I've probably had it," she was now standing in line for the Orange Julius too. "I blame my college friends and my mom. She was a tequlia person, so it was margaritas to celebrate my twenty-first," Charity shrugged. "Maybe if I'd grown up around my birth father I'd be a whiskey girl. I've heard he was a hard drinker." Charity had more than heard: at least one bar had actually send condolences and offered her free drinks. She wasn't sure what a "Matt's Hole" was, but she could probably go in and drink until she got drunk and not have to pay a cent.

[Tamara Sulik]

Tamara let a little groan at what Charity. “I get you on that. It’s nice to have a day here and there to go out and do other more than what’s necessary but it would be nice to take a week or two off more often than this. But we’re not exactly a normal school, new students can come in at any time. You can’t just tell a child to try and not kill anyone with their power until the beginning of next school year.” Because she understood this, she was not whining too much in the face of those she really should whine about it to. But that did not change the fact she often felt like they took advantage of the fact she lived there to call her first. Again, it was understandable, she could be here faster, but it was annoying to say the least. She often wished like she could tell them to go to hell and ask someone else. But Tamara liked to think she took her responsibilities and as much as she may not like this, she agreed to this job and she’ll do it.

After what Charity said about having a sweet tooth, and the way she looked, Tamara expected her to love those fancy girly cocktails. She also could have pictures her with a bottle of Jack Daniels, just because the contrast would be interesting, but the fact she wouldn’t be able to survive was not to surprise her either. “I wouldn’t trust those cocktails though. They’re so sweet, you don’t realise just how much alcohol you took in one glass until you can’t even remember your name,” she said. She preferred to know exactly how much she took in one night, not find out the moment she’s trying to walk to her car. She nodded at the mention of Guy. “That he was. I suppose some would even say he had a drinking problem.” Not her, although he might be heavy and do some crazy things at times because of it. The man was too old for her to really care. It was not like he didn’t know the effect it would have on him. Not that it mattered anymore. Life didn’t exactly wait for a cirrhosis to kill him.

“It’s fine though. If there’s one thing you should take from your father, it certainly ain’t his drinking habit. Doubt he’d be mad at you for not continuing that tradition.” Did he even know for Charity? He never told her about this girl he had but it was true Tamara never really asked. She wondered what he thought of that daughter of his. It was, sadly, a little late to ask him that. And Tamara was not stupid enough to think a Ouija board would give them the answer. She didn’t even want to think the things Guy could say even if Ouija worked.

[Charity Croft]

"Yeah, it feels like I'm getting a new student, like, every week. And apparently there are only, like, six trainers. Sometimes it feels like there's even less," Charity rolled her eyes, letting out a breath of frustration. She was tempted to go on, to mention how they'd all but dumped her father's roster of students on her and just expected everyone to be okay with this. Because of course the daughter would be just like the father. They'd trained together, hadn't they?

Though there hadn't been any of the training in the art of drinking. "Yep, been there too," Charity said, letting out a few chuckles. "At least nobody's tried to spike my drink yet. Can't imagine why not," Charity had to smirk and gesture at herself for a bit, taking a few more steps forward. She'd actually gotten close a time or two in college, but, well, it wasn't really something you wanted to talk about.

"I'm sure my dad's proud of me for continuing some things. he was pretty much telling me that when he saw that I'd come back to the school. Actually, he was really cool about the whole 'surprise, you got a daughter' thing. He trained me as a kid, which was exactly as awkward as you're picturing, since he wasn't that much older than me. but yeah, I wish he was still around. There was a lot I could've learned from him," so very, very much. Charity let out another breath before stepping forward to place her order: strawberry julius thing, then it was step aside to let Tamara either place her order or (more likely) escape.

[Tamara Sulik]

There weren’t that many monitor either. Sure, she didn’t have to be as close to the kids as Charity had to while training them but she still had a lot of job to do. She knew she had some advantages to counter all the problems she could think of. For example, she had almost nothing to do while the kids were in class. She could take it easy then, go on the internet, chat with her son... But it was always easier to see all the inconveniences rather than the advantages. “They’re focusing on security this year. I understand but it’s still not balances well.” She wouldn’t be surprised if the teachers and trainers stopped working and demanded better wages or working schedule. Could they go on strike? She doubted there was a union for them...

“I wouldn’t take it as a bad thing. That just mean you’re smart enough to watch your glass and not let anyone give you all sorts of things.” Tamara also watched her glass. But, unlike Charity it seemed, she didn’t need anyone to pour alcohol in it. Still, as she told her, it was one trait of her father she didn’t have to pick, nor would she think Guy would have minded if she chose to pass down on that.

“His work at the school’s certainly the thing worthy of continuing.” Sure, Tamara would remember him for the snarky comments and the drinking nights but his legacy was in his work with the students. And that was something his daughter apparently took on. “Yes, I’ve thought of that. He must have been rather young when he had you, no?” Then again, teen moms were not exactly something uncommon. Plus she knew he had a thing for older women, could have picked it up from an early age.

She ordered her coffee after Charity. She too was sad of Guy’s death. He was one of the few she didn’t mind were higher than her. Probably because he didn’t try to remind her she was supposed to listen to him and do as he asked. “I think we could all say that,” she told Charity. That feeling sure was shared.

[Charity Croft]

The teachers or trainers probably would never strike. They might have the power and all: how many people were there who were trained to train young people in developing potentially dangerous powers? But they wouldn't, simply because doing so would mean stepping aside and letting those same kids face their dangerous powers without help. And too many thought like Charity herself, and she wasn't about to back down.

She did have to laugh at Tamara's assurances regarding the spiking of her drink. It certainly sounded flattering, put that way. The laughter subsided into a smile of gratitude, with Charity nodding. The nod continued as Tamara came around to the subject of Guy. It just occurred to her that Tamara might actually have talked to her father, worked with him. Their time overlapped, after all. Which in turn made Charity wonder if this wasn't sort of awkward for the other woman.

Yep, there was that question. It made Charity sigh and nod. "Yup, he was fifteen. Mom was... older," she bobbed her head. "Which is probably why she didn't tell him about me. Figured that he needed to grow up first or whatever, and that she could raise me by herself. And hey, she did good, right?" Charity gestured at herself and leaned forward. "I also, like, got assigned Guy as a trainer when I went to the school. Had a crush on him and everything," which made Charity laugh, knowing how very, very squick that was to consider now.