Irresponsibility [open]

[megan]

A bottle of Yuengling in one hand an a pool stick in the other, Megan Zamorski was spending Friday night in one of her favorite manners. Hal's Tavern was packed as usual, loud voices, sweaty bodies, and the strong stench of spilled beer giving it its rowdy atmosphere. There had been more than a few brawls here in the past, and if the two gentlemen by the bar didn't calm down soon there was sure to be one tonight.

Meg took another sip of her beer (her third one mind you) and set it down on the edge of the pool table. Then she leaned forward, stick and hand, and lined up a shot with the cue ball. It sent the solid yellow 1 ball rocketing across the table where it narollowly missed sinking into the left corner pocket. With a laugh and a shrug of her shoulders, she picked up her beer again and waited for her partner's turn to end.

Pool was far from being one of her strongest suits. Really, it was nothing more than a good way to blow her paycheck. She rarely one at it, and when she did it was because her opponent was either drunker or just as bad at the whole "geometry equals good shots" strategy. But that didn't keep it from being fun! So what if she was out fifty bucks? She usually ended up a few new friends, some of which would even by her drinks. A few bad games of pool were definitely worth an endless supply of Irish beer, as evidenced by the fact that at five foot two inches she was already starting to sway. Professor Zamorski was well on her way to drunk and loving every minute. It was a pity a good deal of the teachers rarely let themselves loosen up; they'd be a lot more fun if they'd accept her offer to come down to the Tavern and get a drink.

[vincent]

Travel had never been a problem for Vincent, his ability allowed him to get around without a vehicle. As he was going out for drinks, that was certainly a good thing. By creating a gravity well that pulled him along, he flew through the air at a decent clip. By doing this he was able to bypass a lot of things that would normally get in the way.

He had just gotten set up at the Academy, and felt it was a good time for a celebratory drink or few. Landing lightly by slowly lowering the pull of the gravity well, he touched down and took a moment to smooth out the light jacket that had been fluttering from his flight. Putting on his best grin, Vincent entered the pub.

He took a quick look around the place and was happy to see it was fairly standard for a pub. The smells and sights made the place very familiar to him. He wasted little time walking up to the bar and obtaining a pint of Altbier, a favorite of his. Taking a sip he noticed a young woman playing pool and starting a visible sway. After a few minutes of watching, he figured she didn't really have anything going on with her pool partner and figured that after she got to a breaking point it wouldn't hurt to say hello.

He was about halfway through his drink when the time looked right.
Walking over, he made sure to put his grin back in place. As he neared her he lifted himself into the air just slightly, wanting to be silent to give her a playful little scare.
"Y'know, while seeing you, the title 'Willow in the Wind' comes to mind." He said from behind her as he dropped the half inch to the floor.

[megan]

Draining the last of her beer, Meg figured it would be a better idea to try and focus on the game before getting another one. Her opponent only had two balls left before he could shoot at the eight ball, which was pretty significant considering the six solids she still had on the table. The bottle lay discarded as she attempted to line of her next shot. Thankfully, she was sober enough to still see straight. Unthankfully, her coordination was slowing being shot to hell. She completely missed the cue ball on her first attempt, laughing at her own inadeptness. Her second shot went much better. A stroke of dumb like chose to hit her at that moment, and she sunk the red three in a center pocket. She also managed to get that pesky yellow one before scratching.

Three turns later she had lost the game. Digging a fifty out, she handed it to her opponent with a sigh and a smile. She watched him walk away too, because he wasn't a half bad sight from the back. It was just a pity she had poor timing, because before she could turn around a voice caught her completely off guard. It was standing a little too close for comfort and she hadn't heard the guy walk up. Pity his little joke wasn't going to get the reaction he was hoping for.

Tense, Megan whirled on her heel, right hand clenched in a fist. She was reacting on instinct rather than logic and wasn't completely away of what she was doing. Before she even registered what the guy looked like, she was taking a swing at his face. It wasn't until after she followed through that she realized what she had done (and this was by far the first time she'd ended up in a situation such as this). Gasping, one hand rose to her mouth to hide a sheepish smile as she stared at the rather handsome man, the other clutching her stomach because she was trying very hard to not laugh. "Oh my god! I... I'm so. Sorry!"

[vincent]

At that moment, Vincent was very glad for his years of fencing training which gave him good reflexes and mobility. Seeing the swing coming in, he leaned back, the blow only scraping his nose instead of landing directly on the cheek.
"Whoa!" He uttered as he took a step back. He saw that she had reacted without thinking due to her apology and the barely controlled laughter. All things considered, he wouldn't hold that against her. Sneaking up on people like that had it's drawbacks.

"No apology needed, I really shouldn't have tried being sneaky." He replied, simply glad to have not taken a fist to the side of the face. There wasn't any time that such a thing ever ended well for a person.
"How about we have a seat and I'll get you a drink for startling you. You look like you've had a few, but I get the impression you can hold your liquor." He said while giving her a wide open smile.

He offered her his arm and tilted his head slightly to the side.
"I'm Vincent, just starting at the Academy. And I don't bite." He said before giving a small wink.
"This is of course someone wants me to. I try to be an open-minded sort." He wasn't even trying to hide the fact that he was flirting with her. He never tried being coy, it didn't suite him. He did much better when being direct. His openness often helped him with people, particularly when first meeting them.

[megan]

Oh good, he took it well. There seemed to be no hard feelings, which meant she was off the hook. The last time she'd punched someone in the pub, she'd been served with a restraining order a week later. Needless to say, the woman was very much relieved that this would not be a repeat of back then. Really, she thought it was a miracle she was still allowed in Hal's Tavern some days.

Taking his offered arm, Megan latched on a little too tightly. Overall she was in a good mood, which meant (attempted assault aside) that what little inhibition she had was quickly falling by the wayside. She was a naturally clingy person when sober, so being tipsy only made her more so. She saw nothing wrong with hanging onto a perfect stranger or letting him lead her to a table.

"Maybe I should be the one buying you a drink. I did try to take out your nose..." She laughed here, looking up at him. A bit of worry did shine in her dark eyes as she mad sure she hadn't actually done any damage. But other than that, her smile was natural as she lightly tugged him towards a booth and slipped into one of the seats.

What he'd said as they'd sat down only caused her to perk up more. Playful innuendo aside, she hadn't expected the man to be a new colleague. She had no doubt that this little incident would end up on the grape vine sooner rather than later. "Hey did you hear? Professor Zamorski tried to punch Professor Monroe in the tavern!" It was a good thing she was the type to laugh things off rather than let them get to her.

"I like a man with an open mind." She returned his wink with a coy smile, resting her elbows on the table and leaning forward slightly to lay her chin on top of the backs of her hands. "Megan Zamorski. I teach art, so it looks like we'll be seeing a lot of each other. I promise next time I won't try and punch you. How are you liking Silas?"

[vincent]

Vincent gave a small chuckle.
"Well then we can buy each other a drink and call it even if you feel so strongly about it." He replied as he shifted to help support her a little more as they made their way to a booth, Megan actually pulling him along slightly. He couldn't help but keep his smile in place at that. A woman who could take some form of lead was admirable.

Soon enough they had taken their seats and Megan introduced herself. Vincent gave a raised eyebrow at learning that he had met a fellow teacher at the Academy. They would at least have something in common. Even so, the smile she gave didn't escape his notice, and the smile he returned was more on the roguish side.

"Well it's good to know I won't have to evade any attacks the next time." He replied in good nature, making it clear that he didn't fault her reaction. When he thought about it, he himself might have done something similar in such a state of mind.
"As for the Academy. I've really just moved in and I haven't taught a class yet, so as a teacher I can't say much, but I've always loved the place. I spent several years there as a student. I've returned to fill the post for the Power Control classes. A favorite of mine." He said as he leaned in, resting his chin on tented fingers.

"So any tips for the new teacher?" He asked with the smile still in place as they waited for someone to come by and take orders for their drinks. He was making sure to keep his eyes locked onto Megan's as they spoke. She was certainly a looker, and while on the way to being drunk, she had a charm to her. Though as she was a fellow teacher, he was still deciding how to go about the evening.

[megan]

"You got to attend Silas?" she blurted without much thinking. She knew the school had a tendency to hire former students, but it never ceased to amaze her when she met one of said professors. Even the knew ones like Vincent probably had a better understanding of the school than she did simply because they're grown up there. On top of that, she'd never finished high school in general, so to meet someone closer to her years that was lucky enough to have received the sort of education she would have wanted tended to leave her in a bit of awe. Not that she didn't like the way she'd spent her teenage years, of course. Holding down two or three jobs at a time and spending weekends partying just a little to hard wasn't really something she could complain about.

Before she could give up any tips, however, the waitress came over. Megan's posture perked up, hands folding on the table top as she sat up a bit, head tilted somewhat to one side. Her smile turned more into a grin as she chirpped her order, "Yuengling!" and then turned back to Vince and waited for him to do the same. By the time she the barmaid scuttled away she'd finally thought up what she believed to be a few good tips.

Her head was back on her propped up hands as she spoke. "Now I don't know what the school was like when you attended, but I can definitely see why your class in needed. Most days it seems like we can't even go a week without someone or something blowing up. In terms of the staff, I'd watch out for Miller if I were you. I think he's got a few screws loose. And be on guard for any accidental power usage during classes. I gave an exam once and one of the girls worked herself into such a nervous fit she burned an acidic hole clean through her test and the desk. Needless to say, she dropped my class after that. I still don't think the exam was that hard."

Megan was looking a little sheepish now. That particular incident had happened during the second term of her first year teaching at the school. Her "Art & Symbolism" class was the only one she gave written exams in, but still it was rarely someone's preferred cup of tea. The subject was about as subjective as the visions she had of the future. With more ways to do it wrong than right, it tended to scare off people with less receptive abilities.

[vincent]

Vincent gave a smile as Megan ordered her drink.
"Make that two." He said. It had always been considered good form to follow the woman's choice of drink in these situations, and Vincent had a slight fondness for Yuengling. It wasn't a favorite, but he liked it all the same.

He patiently sat back and listed as Megan went over a few things for him to keep in mind. He would make a point of looking up who this Miller was. If anything, a man with a few screws loose was normally a good source of relieving boredom if it struck him. Not that Vincent often found himself bored.

He gave a small chuckle at the story about the test and desk. He had recalled that type of thing happening when he attended.
"So it seems classes haven't changed all that much then. When I attended as a student, we had a kid in my class who could liquify things with a touch. Oh the amount of pencils, desks, doors and beds the Academy went through when he started up. Good fellow, just nervous." He said as he recalled his days at the Academy, some of the best in his life really.

"So from the way you asked if I had attended. it sounds like you were not a student yourself?" He asked. Though they were close in age if not the same, that didn't really determine if they would have attended the Academy together due to the fact that the age of the students varied. His powers were discovered in his early teens and he was sent right away to help control them. Some people didn't find out until later in life.

[megan]

Her eyebrows raised slightly when he ordered the same thing as her, but Meg chose to say nothing. Either he knew what she was drinking and didn't mind strong Irish beer, or she would get a good laugh at his reaction to tasting it for the first time. Regardless, Vince was taking again so she fixed her eyes on his and laughed as he spoke of his school days. "It never ceases to amaze me how diverse the talents are."

But then the conversation shifted to where she'd gone to school. While she didn't mind talking about her past, it wasn't a subject she was very comfortable with. Usually she spun the stories of her wild teenage years, all those exciting tales of turmoil and bad behavior that could keep a crowd entertained. Her educational background wasn't really something worth bragging about. She leaned back in her seat, smile softening from flirty to a bit uncomfortable. Absentmindedly she began to twist the ring on her right hand.

"Something like that. I'm actually from Stowe. Small town, just northeast of here, so my only option was the local public school. Not that it mattered all that much. I dropped out when I was sixteen to work full time. Got my GED at twenty and then got an art degree. Silas is actually my first teaching job." She finished talking just as their drinks arrived. Taking her bottle, she took a rather large gulp before setting it down in front of her, peeling slightly at the label. Though she said nothing else, the look on her face said it was his turn to share a little background information now.

[vincent]

Vincent gave a nod at Megan's comment about the diversity of powers.
"Well that's part of what makes them interesting. It wouldn't be nearly as fascinating if there were only a handful of powers out there." He replied as they waited for their drinks. The place was still working up to being fairly rowdy, but it hadn't gotten bad yet.

He noticed a shift in Megan when he talked about how it seemed she hadn't attended classes at the Academy. He hadn't meant it to work out as a question that would pry into her past, though she seemed fine enough with talking about it and he listened intently.

"Well there's nothing wrong with public school. My parents made sure that's where I went when I was starting out. It had a big impact on who I am today. Otherwise there is a possibility that I would be something of a snob." He replied as the drinks arrived. He took a good long drink before setting it down, enjoying the kick the stuff had. He was far from unused to it, but it wasn't a common drink for him.

"As for dropping out at least you worked. Too many people dropped out and did nothing. Hell you're teaching now. Balances out that dropping out thing. Besides, it will probably help you with some of the students that might think of doing the same. You've got first hand experience." He added before taking another drink. He was able to catch the expression on her face and what it meant.

"That look tells me it's my turn." He said with a grin.
"As I mentioned, I spent my schooling in public schools. My parents were fairly well off and I grew up in different parts of California. I found out about my powers during my first year in high school and spent most of my remaining school years at the academy. After graduation. I spent part of my inheritance to travel around the world, just learning what I could and figuring out what I wanted to do with myself. When the position at the Academy opened up, well I decided that would be completely worth while. So here I am." He said before taking another drink, enjoying the warm buzz creeping up on him.

"Nice to know our general lives are just about as average as those without some form of power. Let's us still feel like the rest of the humans in some small way." He added.

[megan]

"Rich boy, eh?" There was a hint of teasing in her voice, her mood lightening now that she had another drink. She had purposely ignored his comments that tried to validate her past. The past was the past and even if she could change it, she wouldn't. It was a fundamental part of who she was, and she felt no shame from it. What made it an uncomfortable subject was often how other people took it. Even with her ability to tell the future, the skill didn't exactly help her in predicting other people's reactions. So long as he didn't look down on her for it, she considered it a completed topic.

Besides, his rich boy status was more interesting than her poor girl one at the moment. Traveling wasn't really something she'd done a lot of outside of the occasional trip to Boston or New York. There were so many places that she wanted to visit but just hadn't had the money or chance to do so. To top it all off, she would not have pegged Vince as being cut from the upper class (or rather she hadn't until he'd started talking about his past). His parents' attempts to humble him had worked... for the most part.

She had leaned forward again as she spoke, sipping again at her beer. "As normal as circumstance allows. My sisters make their living by hunting ghost." She smiled here, shifting the topic of conversation with ease. "I've got a touch of precognition, myself, though I didn't realize it was the future I've been painting all this time until I started college. Where do your particular talents lie?" Now that she had another drink in her Megan was getting a bit flirty again, evidenced by the suggestive tone of her voice.

[vincent]

He grinned about the rich boy comment."Somewhat. I did have to earn it as the inheritance was put it a trust fund. I'm rather thankful for that to be honest. Kept me from getting uppity." He replied. He had never been bothered by having the status he did. He never let it define him before, and never intended to let it be that way.

He found the ghost hunting reference, he would have to get around to asking about that at a later point, though the interested was filed to the back of his mind when Megan brought up the precognitive powers she had.
"Fascinating. I don't recall any precogs in my time at the academy. Well at least any of them that were in classes with me." He said. Her outlet for it certainly was interesting as well, and it made sense as to why she taught what she did.

He gave a grin when asked about his own talents.
"Ahh that, well mine are a little more based on the physical plane." He said before taking a drink.
"I can work gravity to my own ends to a certain extent. It let's me do quite a few interesting little things." He said with a quick chuckle.
"One of the reasons I could get completely hammered and get back to my home without a problem. It's a lot easier to fly than drive." He added.

[megan]

"Not uppity, hmm? I think I'll be the judge of that." Megan enjoyed poking fun at him; she liked teasing most of the guys she knew. Having grown up with three sisters, most of her close friends outside of family were actually men. She was quite good at being "one of the guys" when needed, but more often than not she preferred the role of teasing flirt who made a much better friend than she did a lover. Besides, they were more likely to do things for her when they thought they actually stood a chance.

But she did listen attentively, wondering what sorts of people he'd gone to school with. They probably would have been the same sorts of people she'd have gone to school with, unless he was one of those guys who severely did not look his age. If she had to make a guess though, there couldn't be more than two years between them, if that much.

What most caught her attention, however, was the power he had. To have something a bit more physical (and a lot more reliable) had crossed her mind from time to time. And to have something that would prevent her from having to drunk dial someone at three in the morning to come pick her up would be more than beneficial. Her expression had morphed into something between a jealous glare and a pout, bottle gripped in both hands as she watched him. "Now that's just not fair. I'm pretty sure I accidentally dialed the headmistress's office and left a message about needing a ride home from here once. I'm still not really clear on the details of that night. My first term teaching was a little nerve wracking." Little was an understatement.

[vincent]

"Well it's often best to let others make that observation. Rather arrogant to assume the best about myself." He replied before taking another drink. He had rarely ever let the family wealth determine what he was like. He often enjoyed spending time around the 'common folk' as it was often put. Many people with the money his family had would often end up being insufferable snobs. That could happen with anyone, but it was more of a constant with people who were more privileged.

He couldn't help but chuckle about her little story.
"I'm sure that made a wonderful impression." He commented, still chuckling a little as he spoke. He gave her a sly smile.
"Well if you aren't good to drive tonight, I can give you a lift back home." He said. Vincent had become a fair hand and taking other people or objects along with him when he flew in such a manner. The worst anyone had ever seemed to feel was that they didn't have control over their own flight.

"That is of course if you trust me to not drop you, though I promise that after graduation, that sort of thing hasn't happened." He said before giving a thoughtful look.
"Though back in school there was that incident with my friend's car. Though in all fairness he thought it would be funny to shoot paint balls at me while I was focusing." He said with a slightly wistful tone in his voice as he recalled the event. That had been a fun joke in theory.

[megan]

"Don't ask how I still have my job, because I'm honestly not sure. Guess I was lucky it wasn't a weekday." She laughed too, finishing off her beer and wondering if she should have another. On one had, she still hadn't sorted out how she was getting home. On the other, it was a Friday night and she wasn't even to the point of slurring her words yet. His offer sealed the deal.

To say she was excited by the prospect was an understatement. She'd never flown before, not without some sort of vehicle. And given her tendency to try out clearly bad ideas, how could she not say yes? "You mean it? I'd love that! I jumped off a bridge once so it can't be any worse than that. Of course, I was attached to a bungee cord back then..." She smiled anyways, face bright with intoxication and adrenaline. A small part of her was ready to say "screw drinking and fly home right now."

Instead she signaled for the barmaid to come back over, laughing at Vince's story concerning flying cars. That was something she'd never tried either but wouldn't mind giving a shot in the future. Flying cars were supposed to be the transportation of the future anyways; why not take one for a test drive prematurely? Curious now, she poked further into the young man's memory. "Why exactly were you flying a car?"