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 Posted: Sat Feb 07, 2015 7:53 am
It was a beautiful day (but when was it not? Even in the most horrid of conditions, Thomas would have found something to enjoy about the weather) and a certain purple haired mist trainee was, of course, outdoors as he most often seemed to be. For once, however, he was not stalking the training grounds in an attempt to find somebody to spar with, or just to watch, or to practice on a dummy himself. No, today, he was just to the side of the dorm room doors, a yoga mat that he had found stored away someplace rolled out across the ground. And what was he doing on said yoga mat? Well...yoga, of course. But nothing so simple or basic as the forward fold or the plank. No, his poses were much more intricate, much more expert. These were positions that no man should have been able to do. The wheel, headstand, handstand, crow pose, all with muscles strained but with a rather peaceful expression on his face as if it were the simplest thing for him to do.
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Posted: Sun Feb 08, 2015 7:30 pm
The first time Oliver passed through the doors he didn't notice the trainee off to one side. He burst through the doors in a hurry, a snack size bag of chips in one hand, a pile of papers on a clipboard in the other, and a lollypop being crunched between his teeth as he dashed down the path towards the labs. He rounded a corner and disappeared, but in mere seconds he reappeared running back towards the dorms at an even quicker pace. The boy gave the purple-haired trainee a confused glance, but avoided any eye contact as he yanked the door open. Two minutes later he was running back through the doors, tipping up the bottom of the chip bag and dumping the remaining crumbs in to his mouth. If that junk food was his lunch, he was already done for. As he crumpled up the bag and shoved it into one pocket, he finally paused. "Um… a-are you okay? That doesn't… ah… look very comfortable…" He asked, nervously glancing down at the trainee.
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Posted: Sun Feb 08, 2015 9:08 pm
Tommy was far too immersed in his zen like state of mind to notice the younger man during any number of the times that he rushed by. He was just pushing himself up from headstand to handstand for perhaps the fourth time when a voice first filtered through, and his lips quirked slightly in a small smile before he peeked a single eye open. "I am quite fine, thank you." Slowly, he began to lower himself down once more, and then, tucking his chin in, he did a forward roll, which ended with him in a seated position, that he then swiveled around so that he was facing the owner of the voice. "It was not always comfortable, no, but now I do find it quite peaceful. Salve, I am Tommy. Thomas, really, but I do not prefer it." He gave the other man a broad grin.
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Posted: Tue Feb 10, 2015 4:49 pm
Oliver wasn't sure contorting oneself into unusual positions was something he would ever call 'peaceful'. Yoga might have been of some benefit to the naturally anxious boy, if it were at all possible to calm his mind it would have been worth a try. Plus his own flexibility wasn't bad. His balance on the other hand, was borderline horrendous. "A-are you sure..." he asked, trailing off in a way that didn't really expect an answer. There was still some lingering doubt in his expression. At the introduction he did manage a weak smile. "Oh, uh, Oliver," he said, almost offering Tommy a hand... but pulling it back once he realized there were still potato chip crumbs on his fingers. "O-oops, sorry..." Oliver rubbed his hand on his pants. "Um, d-did you know where the infirmary was? Just in case, uh... you land on your head wrong or something?"
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Posted: Wed Feb 11, 2015 10:05 pm
"Yes! Absolutely! If you want me to teach you some basics....?" The offer was on the table, a large grin on Tommy's face as he pushed himself off of the mat, moving to the side and off of it before bending down to begin rolling it up. "But perhaps some other time. I am scheduled for some duty soon." He was half way through rolling the mat up when the other man offered his name. He straightened, turning towards him once more, leaving the mat to be finished later. "Ah, it is a pleasure to meet you, Oliver." He gave a slight bow, and a light chuckle at the other man's apology. "It is no matter." He shrugged his shoulders, and bent back to his task, not at all put off by Oliver's rather timid and rather nervous behavior. "I do, in fact. I am in mist division, and apparently that requires me to have some skills in many different fields. So far I have only just shadowed the other workers there a couple of times." He finished and lifted the mat up, tucking it beneath an arm. "You might be able to help me find something else, though! Where are the..ah.." he frowned for a moment, and then snapped his fingers. "Minipets! Where are they kept?" He asked, still smiling away, appearing completely at ease and quite cheerful at that.
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Posted: Sun Feb 15, 2015 7:34 am
Oliver wasn't able to form a yes or a no in response to Tommy's offer, he was a bit too taken aback by the friendly invitation. People didn't just casually meet him and invite him to do things, that was weird. Maybe if he were a more confident person, but it always seemed like people had a sixth sense and just knew he was too anxious, too nerdy, too unpracticed for social activities. Or maybe that sixth sense was reserved for high-schoolers who had their cliques to maintain. He watched as the taller man packed up his mat, every motion and gesture performed with a certain flourish, and grew more fidgety with every passing second. "Yes!" He finally chirped, some of the tension easing from his shoulders when he realized they were heading back to his comfort radius. "I-I am headed there myself. The labs are this way!" He started to lead, glancing back frequently until he was sure Tommy was sticking with him. "There are lots of labs, um, do you have a room number?" He asked, finding it easier to talk while walking. "D-depending on the project, you might be assigned to certain minipets and not others. I have a few I help care for, n-not as many as when I was a trainee... Um, today I'll be showing a new trainee some of those duties though, so I was trying to get there early to prepare... N-not that it needs much preparation, everything you need is in the labs already- Oops!" Oliver paused in his nervous babbling as he stumbled over an uneven spot in the path underfoot.
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Posted: Tue Feb 17, 2015 8:41 pm
"Ah yes, the labs!" He snapped his fingers, "That makes sense." It seemed that Oliver was already on his way there, or was just very excited to show him. Either way, Tommy found himself quickly shoving the mat he had just rolled up somewhere out of the way, and grabbing his jacket off of the ground. He would have liked to have gone back to his room to change out of his sweatpants and t-shirt but...oh well. He flung the jacket on as they walked, hoping he didn't look more hobo-esque then usual, and with long strides was easily able to keep up. "Uhhhhh room number?" He asked, suddenly feeling quite unsure as he frowned in thought. "I do not recall. I thought that it was just general duty in whatever location the minipets are kept." General duties to him sounding an awful lot like "cage cleaning" and "s**t shoveling" at the time that he was given his schedule. When Oliver stumbled, Tommy reached out towards him, reflexes quick as his hand closed around the other mans arm. "Ah, careful!" He smiled, helping to get the other man straightened back up.
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Posted: Wed Feb 18, 2015 8:03 pm
"Oh!" Oliver recovered from his stumble with Tommy's help, but then leaped back and nearly dropped the clipboard and paper in his arms. "Y-you m-mean, um- You are my trainee?!" The boy's face began looking a little pale. There went any hope of being prepared ahead of time, it was his very first day being in charge of a trainee from start to finish, a very first and very important day. He wouldn't even have time to gather up his composure. He was doomed to be a nervous wreak, and a failure as a teacher, and nobody would ever let him in a position of respect ever again.
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Posted: Wed Feb 18, 2015 9:13 pm
Oliver's sudden leap away and nervous stuttering came as a surprise, but Tommy let his hand fall away before shoving it into a pocket and giving the other man an easy smile, trying to ease whatever worries he was having. "Oh? Am I? Well what a fortunate coincidence it is that I should meet you before hand." His easy smile became a wide grin. "Shall we continue on our way?"
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Posted: Sun Mar 01, 2015 9:07 pm
A fortunate... Oliver felt faint, lightheaded. He took a deep breath and clutched the clipboard protectively to his chest. No, it would be okay. He knew those duties inside and out, and his trainee seemed friendly enough. Not outrageous or sullen or flirty, just friendly. "Y-yes, um, th-this way!" he stammered, ducking his head and leading the way to the labs. He was practically a ball of silent, nervous tension as they cut across the training fields, but once they set foot inside the cold, sterile lab building, Oliver began to relax. They passed a couple large windows that showed dim rooms with many minipet cages, and that was when Oliver finally glanced up at Tommy. "There are, um, l-lots of minipets, not just the ones we'll work with today, but they all have schedules for care. These ones are the B-27 morning group." He stopped and pushed open a door leading to one of those rooms, and the lights came on with the motion.
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Posted: Sat Mar 07, 2015 6:23 pm
For a moment, Thomas wondered if the other man was going to faint. He certainly recognized the signs, had seen it happen several times before among performers and audience members alike. He held up a hand, again thinking to steady Oliver, but the moment passed, and the lifer stammered out a sentence before hurrying on his way. Thomas smiled, and took long strides to keep up. He knew where the labs were, of course, but had yet to find his way around them completely, so he was glad that he had run into Oliver when he had...or had Oliver run into him? Either way, it was as fortunate to Tommy as he had said it had been! They stepped into the coolness of the labs, and Thomas was suddenly glad to have grabbed his jacket, though it was sleeveless. He followed along side Oliver, silent for the time but only because he was busy taking in the sights around him. When they began to pass large windows, Tommy peered through them, leaning forward until his nose was nearly touching the glass. "Ah, I see! So we will not have to work with all of them today?" He asked, following Oliver through the door he had pushed open. "And, ah, what is it exactly that we are to do with them?"
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Posted: Mon Mar 16, 2015 7:14 pm
Oliver shook his head, hanging up his own coat on a hook by the door. "Nope, just these ones for now." He walked over to the wall of cages, already more comfortable in the lab than anywhere else. This was where he 'grew up' on the island, all those initial weeks and months of stress and fear had been balanced in part by the structure and routine of the labs. He could be competent here, even if he was small and pathetic anywhere else on the island. Had he kept his jacket on, instead of revealing a rather dorky dinosaur tee shirt underneath, in the lab he might have passed as a respectable supervisor. The minipets in their cages began displaying a suitable amount of interest as Oliver picked up a clipboard that hung on one side of the wall. "This is their schedule," he explained, holding it out so Tommy could have a look. "See, it tells you when they eat, when they are due for routine care like nail clipping and stuff, and if they have any particular medication regimes." He pointed to each of the sections on the page as he spoke. "So today, we're brushing their teeth. These ones are the subjects of long-term studies, they have been on the island almost as long as I have."
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