Inez and Sam, December 30

[x-desperado.livejournal.com]

Backdated to December 30

Inez is working out some frustration in the gym when Sam comes across her and they chat.



Inez hadn't been back in the mansion for more than half an hour after her last shift at the Jefferson Diner ended. She was already pissed off that her hours working off the debt she'd accrued through her summer temper tantrum were cutting into her hours making actual money at 64Square; today had just added fuel to the fire when she'd had yet another townie try and "accidentally" cop a feel while she was clearing a table.

Normally she'd have come home and thrown herself at her schoolwork, but it was the winter break, and even the teachers at the school weren't that sadistic. And with Marko gone, she couldn't just go take out frustration in the Danger Room by pounding on the old man, so she found herself in the workout room, heading straight for one of the large resistance plates that had been rigged up for the super-strong population.

Forge had explained to her that the resistance plates could be set anywhere from "tank armor" to "just shy of a white dwarf star" with his usual high-handed manner, so Inez walked over and cranked the machine up to maximum. She knew that she wouldn't be able to budge it with that much resistance, but today she wasn't looking to lift weights.

Without even bothering to change out of her waitressing uniform, she pulled on her pair of fingerless gloves, reared back a fist and punched the solid metal plate with a loud grunt. The impact barely echoed through the room as she kept firing punch after punch into the seemingly-invulnerable surface, the only other sound in the room being her heavy breathing as she tried to just punch the anger away.

"I'd been meaning to have a talk with that plate, so it's just as well you show it that it's not as tough as it thinks it is." Sam stood against the door frame. He wasn't much for the gym, he had the sort of strength someone that worked hard most of the day had, his flying also helped to keep him in shape. He also didn't often try to punch people or lift heavy things without using his mutation. Had he not been wondering by he'd have been none the wiser and he didn't have much of a reason to step in other than to see what was wrong.

"Yeah, well..." Inez said as she turned, shaking her hands and cracking her knuckles. "Better here than on some poor townie's head, right? Last thing I need's more community service." She knew Sam, of course, but it still weirded her out to live in the same place where the teachers could walk in on you anywhere. Idly, she ran a finger over a rack of weights as she began to walk a circuit of the room. "Place is like a ghost town here anyway. Sorry if I was bothering anyone."

"You're not. I just wanted to check and see if everything's all right with you." He was used to playing father to a lot of little Guthries and he brought that same habits to the student body. Sometimes they had a lot of teachers but they didn't press the relationship into any more than that. As adults it was their responsibility to make themselves available for more in depth relationships.

Inez just shrugged, not meeting Sam's eyes. "School. Work. More work. More school. You know how it is. I need..." She stopped there, unsure what brought the thought to her mind and furthermore, why she was blurting it out to Sam. "I need to see someone about getting back into a training program. Since Marko left, I kinda don't have anyone I can just go and slug it out with, yo." She tried to put an upbeat tone in her voice, but she wasn't even fooling herself.

"I'd suspect we could find someone like that if you needed. I know we have a couple residents who have the powers for it." Sometimes people trusted Sam. He figured it was the accent or the fact he was a long time resident but not a very imposing person; at least in his own mind. "I'm no psychiatrist but maybe you still being in your work uniform implies something bad happened there today?"

"Just needed to blow off steam," Inez mumbled, looking down at her feet. "The guys from this summer haven't been back, but it's obvious that all the townies know who I am now. If they're not calling for 'Crazy Inez', they're grabbing my ass when I turn around or looking down... well." She blushed slightly and coughed. "I talked to Patel about it, but I still need the job, you know?"

"Maybe you should look for a different job? You certainly shouldn't be treated like that, I figure." Sam was sure she'd probably though of that but he didn't have many better ideas. She couldn't just beat a grabby customer up, having someone else come in for her to make a scene would just be worse, and he'd also imagined she'd checked on other work. He could possibly work something out with the Professor but that wouldn't be a solution to the ultimate problem.

"Only a few more months," Inez replied with another shrug. "I'd rather be able to work with Ms. Frost full time. Dad would totally flip," she said with a smile, then caught herself. She hadn't spoken about her father since she'd been at the mansion - not to Tatiana, not to anyone.

"If you ever want to talk, you ought to let me know. I can be alright at it sometimes." Sam didn't have any advice worth sharing on the topic. He never had to deal with being a young lady working in a restaurant. He did want to help, however. He always wanted to help, even if he didn't know how to.

Inez shook her head. "No, it's just-- my dad and I used to move around a lot. He'd probably be proud of me having a classy job." If I could tell him, if they'd let me know where he is so I could just send one letter...

Without meaning to, Inez sniffed loudly and rubbed her nose, then sat down on the floor with her back against the wall. "Bah, I'm not going to get all emo about it," she protested. "You've been here, like, forever, right? Do you ever get used to it?"

"I get to fly home when I want to. I think I'm about the only one who can so I'm not good to compare to." Sam moved over and sat down beside Inez. "I can say that the people here are about as much family as any other Guthrie is and that if you say you need help or want company you'll get it."

"Is your family... I mean, your brother and all? I saw what your sister said. I didn't know him, but..." Inez sniffed again and wiped her eyes. "Augh, I'm so bad at this stuff. This has been a pretty sucky year."

"It's had it's moments." Sam sighed a bit, taking a moment to miss his brother. "Thank you for your sentiment and trying. I'm pretty sure that when things like this happen there isn't anything that can be said about it."

Inez sniffed again, then she nodded to a takeout bag resting on a weight bench. "I brought back some pie from the diner. Know anyone who likes pumpkin pie?"

"I'm don't know anyone who doesn't." Sam said with a laugh, trying to transition moods and lift her spirits as well as his own. He'd come in to try and help, not to depress her into a coma.

Inez gave a genuine smile. "Then I think we probably oughta hit it before everyone else gets wind of it, yo. Kitchen?"

"Race you." Sam said with a smile and before she could respond he was off; running down the hall to the kitchen. When he was younger a good race always seemed to help the spirits of any Guthrie, no reason it wouldn't do the same for Inez.

"Filthy cheater!" Inez screeched, before stopping and calmly reaching out to pick up the bag with the pie in it and walk casually after Sam. After all, why rush pie?