Randall

The Hard Ass. There's no one looking out for us no. If we want retribution, we gotta do it ourselves. We gotta make our own justice.

[kate-randall]

Fragments || Kate and Graham

[graham-duncan]

Graham made himself focus on Kate’s words as he watched her. The giddy feeling that had made a comfortable home for itself in his stomach had spread throughout his whole body, coursing through his veins to the very tips of his fingers and every nerve ending possible. The worst part of it was that he was completely sensitive to the whole thing - being aware of his whole body was something he’d come to learn in order to use his power to the best of his ability. He didn’t mind that he had to do it, if anything, it made him better as far as his training went, and shape shifting wasn’t bad as far as powers went, but it was moments like these that he wished he had a different ability. 

He frowned at her two suggestions, clearing his throat before replying. “Reed, I can see, but Edwards…” He shook his head slightly. “I think she could use a little work before Graduating.” Graham felt slightly uncomfortable disagreeing so out rightly with Kate’s opinion, but no matter what he felt, the Trainer within him would always come through. 

He continued to watch her out of the corner of his eye as they made their way to the dining hall at what he would normally regard as an agonizingly slow pace, but with the company he was in made the whole thing more enjoyable than painful, even if their conversation was focused on Training matters. The fading light made her pale skin seem as though it were glowing, making her stand out against the dull background of the STRATUS grounds. He was so focused on her that he barely heard her question and instead made the mistake of blurting out the first words that came to his mind. “You’re beautiful.”

[kate-randall]

The two of them kept walking as they carried on their conversation. "Like I said, everyone still has a lot of work left if they want to be considered for graduation." Their pace was slower than Kate's usual speed, and it wasn't something she was really used to. Everything had it's own way and she typically preferred to keep things at a sort of constant instead of having variables flying all over the place. Going at this pace for so long was almost to the point of what would make her uncomfortable if she didn't have someone there to help ease the change.  It wasn't much further to the dining hall, they were almost halfway there. With the pace they were walking at, it would be probably another five to ten minutes to finish their trip. As they turned a corner along the path, she heard Graham say something she wouldn't expect from any one, let alone him.

It took seconds for Kate's mind to process the words that had just escaped Graham's mouth. Kate stopped dead in her tracks, Did he just call her beautiful? She knew she could have just misheard him, but something was telling her that she didn't. For all she knew, there's a chance he could have just said those words to make her smile or to just get her to look a little happier than the usual blank or annoyed expression on her face. She squinted slightly as she cocked her head to the side in a sort of questioning manner. "Wa-Wait... What?" She nearly spat the words out at him without any sort of tone to help soften them. Before he had the chance the answer her first question, she began speaking again. "Did you just... Did you just call me beautiful? Graham, I..."

[fi-campbell-deactivated20160817]

It’s gotten pretty dreary lately, hasn’t it?

[kate-randall]

It's almost as though everyone died or something.

[lakemd]

What, do you need cheering up?

[kate-randall]

No. Everything is just quieter than normal around here.

[kate-randall]

Aren't you all just a cheery bunch as usual.

[kate-randall]

Fragments || Kate and Graham

[graham-duncan]

Graham found himself nodding along at her report even though he was barely processing the words she was saying. Jeez, she was…amazing. It had been years since she’d arrived at STRATUS, just another face in the crowd of Recruits that were brought in at random. Graham, being one of the older, more trusted Recruits, had always taken it upon himself to get to know the newer ones, so he’d eventually learned her name. Just like with everyone else though, responsibilities took over, and he never took the time to get to know her. When she was assigned to become a Trainer however, Kate went from being a passing face in the crowd to someone he saw on a daily basis, someone he was supposed to mentor and look out for. 

He hadn’t meant to grow so fond of her. Part of him believed that it was because he’d never spent so much time around the same person, the other part…had no clue.

He caught himself as she addressed him and blinked, breaking the stare he had on her almost delicate features - anyone who knew her knew she was far from it. “They grow to respect you,” he replied, clearing his throat before continuing. “It’ll take time, but if you shout at them enough, they’ll learn to take things very seriously.” He gave her a small smile as he kept gazing into her eyes, his look slightly softer than hers.

It was the dinner bell that pulled him out of his funk this time and Graham found himself nodding at her question. He took his stop watch off and stored it next to the rest of his things, and when he glanced back up at her, she was a few metres away from him. A smirk found its way onto his lips at her next comment and he jogged forward to catch up. They walked side by side until they reached the back exit, and he walked a few steps ahead to get the door for her. 

The autumn air was cool and refreshing after the Training session, and Graham allowed himself to relax and enjoy it and the company he was in. “I’ve been eyeing up Campbell and Barber for Graduation - are any of yours nearly there?”

[kate-randall]

The two of them headed towards the door as Graham jogged up behind her. The cool autumn air hit her once she crossed the threshold of the training center. The difference of the air was enough to raise small bumps along her arms. She heard him say something about a recruit or two possibly being up for graduation before he asked a question. "Out of the few I'm assigned, I'm going to have to say that Edwards and Reed are the closest out of the group so far. The rest need to toughen up otherwise they'll get killed out there."

The dining hall where everyone was by then was across the campus that made up STRATUS. Though the campus wasn't large, it would still take them a few minutes to get there regardless of what shortcuts the might end up trying to take. They walked side by side with one another since the minute they left the building. Everything around STRATUS ran on some sort os schedule even if it wasn't official. The two of them were typically the last to the cafeteria since they made sure they did everything that day and that the place was cleaned up after everyone else spent hours working on their skills. Everyone woke up at roughly the same time, ate the same things, took part in similar activities, they even dressed in similar manners. In the west, the sun was starting it's decent, trading the sunlight that lit the campus for them for subtle moonlight.

Silence filled the air besides the quite hum of the lights that were starting to turn on. The lack of sound was comforting to Kate, as too much sound just bothered her. The silence didn't seem to hang right to her. "So, what have you been up to besides the usual routine?" It wasn't often that she tried to make some sort of small talk with the people that were around her. This time wasn't different. If it weren't for the silence not being comforting to her for once, she wouldn't have spoken up. The two of them were still walking at a slow pace, making a small amount of progress with every minute that passed.

[creedsource]

[cecil-mercier]

Are you still talking about Noah and I?

[cecil-mercier]

Oh, is that so? Well excuse me and my inability to walk a straight line and my obvious lack of hearing. I am so terribly sorry to ruin your good mood, can you forgive me? 

You know, I feel like tearing up a little—

[kate-randall]

You know what, you're not my problem to deal with and I'm rather glad about that. You're James's problem to deal with, so if you have an issue with another recruit, then take it up with him instead of beating them senseless.

[cecil-mercier]

Are you still talking about Noah and I?

[cecil-mercier]

Oh, should I? Because that’s all I fucking hear when I walk around, so don’t mind me assuming that. What a terrible judge of gossip I am, Miss Randall. Please, forgive me

[kate-randall]

I'm guessing you've been walking in a circle then because no one has spoken a word about it since the day it happened. 

[cecil-mercier]

Are you still talking about Noah and I?

Didn’t know the gossip pool was so dry these past few days.

[kate-randall]

Maybe you should get your head out of your ass and realize that not everyone is talk about it.

[luke-sullivann]

Proving Yourself Right || Luke&Kate

[luke-sullivann]

He nodded. A mile and a half. That wasn’t too bad especially at the pace they were going. He could handle that, no problem. Climbing might be a slight challenge however. If there was one thing that he could approve upon, it was his climbing skills. It wasn’t that he couldn’t climb, it was that he wasn’t…coordinated with it. He never had been. It didn’t matter, though. Voicing that would only lead to more teasing for him and for his fellow recruits. None of them really deserved that. Maybe they didn’t have the same agility training as Graham and Kate’s recruits, but they had strengths just the same. 

Luke nodded at her answer. It was very Kate, just as he assumed it would be. She wasn’t much for fun…at least he didn’t think so. “But don’t you do anything for fun? Even just reading newspapers or anything?” Newspapers were solemn and usually pretty boring. It seemed very Kate to him. He felt the chilling night breeze brush past and tried not to act cold. He really wasn’t all that cold, but air in the face was never a nice feeling, especially if it was a cold wind. It wasn’t as bad since they had been living in the wilderness lately, but all the same, he didn’t like it. It messed with him, but it was a small obstacle compared to what it took to start a life out in the woods.

Her question reached his ears and he laughed a little. The two things he was known for were exactly what she had said. “Hey now, I get all my work done sooner or later. I don’t slack off all that bad. But I also make people angry through pranks that are slightly evil but not dangerous either…usually. I also usually just…socialize. Get to know the people around camp. I figure we should considering we all live together in such proximity and we all will for a while at that.” He laughed a little, though the statement was true. They were going to be around each other most likely for the rest of their lives. Their abilities were in their DNA. it wouldn’t wear off, and the possibility of it being passed down to the generation after them was there too. They would have to create their own little civilization out here. He couldn’t really tell if he liked that idea or not. He just knew whatever lay ahead of them, it wasn’t going to be a smooth ride. All they  had to do was hang on and try and look on the brighter side of things as hard as it may be. 

[kate-randall]

"Keeping up with the news outside isn't something that I would recommend focusing on right now. There's not really any time for anything... fun." Kate kept her eyes trained on the course ahead of them. She knew the Trails that wrapped it's way through the woods surrounding the Barn almost as if she grew up there. Nearly every twist and turn of it was written into her mind from walking it everyday, whether she was alone or with her assigned trainees. "Maybe it's a good idea that you're getting to know everyone at some sort of level. After all, there is a possibility that we're all going to end up staying with each other for at least a couple more years. If not, then maybe for the rest of our lives." She kept walking, picking up her pace and lengthening her strides so they weren't cautious small steps like they were before.

They still had three-quarters of a mile left to go before they would reach the destination that Kate had in mind. She knew it would be dark where she was leading him. The trees that would hang over head would block out the moon light, or just barely allow any to creep it's way down to the forest floor. "How about we start the obstacle course here?" Kate stopped in her tracks and turned to face Luke. "Maybe you can run the next mile or so." She started a light jog away from him before spinning around and calling back to him. "Or you can try and catch up to me." As soon as she finished her words, she spun back around and began to pick up her pace from a jog into an almost sprint passing through the trees. She didn't turn her head to see if he was catching up to her, or if he was even following her. Something in her knew that he'd be able to find her eventually, even if he couldn't see where she exactly was anymore.

A few minutes passed, and she was still running. There wasn't a chance that he was ahead of her, after all he didn't have a clue where the course was. By now, she was less than a quarter mile away form the course. She picked up her speed into a sprint as she weaved her way through the trees. As she neared the small clearing that was to the left of the course, she slowed her pace down to a walk. She was right, the moon light barely reached the earth with the cover of the trees over head. The clearing she stood in was small, and it marked the beginning of the course where she'd occasionally take her trainees and see how they've been keeping up. A small flame started in her hand as she kicked a pile of fallen branches towards the center of the clearing. Just as she bent down and put the flames onto the branches, she heard someone approaching who she automatically assumed was Luke.

[kate-randall]

Fragments || Kate and Graham

[graham-duncan]

"Go, go, go!" Graham shouted from his position within the track that ran around the training facility, prompting his recruits hurry up and get a move on. Fletcher lapped them all several times, but that was only expected of a boy with superhuman speed, but as Adam finished his laps, a glance at his stopwatch told Graham that his speed had improved by 2.1 seconds. It didn’t seem like much, but the Trainer nodded in approval. He’d been pushing him especially the past few weeks and the speed he’d managed to achieve before then was astounding - Graham was impressed every time he’d managed to improve by even a millisecond. 

The rest of his trainees finished their final lap and he recorded each time as they did. “Alright, bring it in!” he called out to them even though the five younger Recruits were already making their way over to him. He proceeded to report back to them on the session, telling them individually improvements that could be made, then reminded them that they would be training outside tomorrow, rain, hail, snow or shine. The bell sounded, signalling the end of the session just as he spoke his last, perfectly timed word and he dismissed his Trainees. They wandered off and blended smoothly into the other Recruits - they didn’t stick to themselves, and instead did as they were instructed to do and get along with everyone else, he noted with a hint of pride as he tucked his clipboard under his arm and made his way to the back of the room.

He was the first one there, and one by one, other Trainers began to gather and ‘report’ back on their Trainees, although it was more just another word for boasting. A familiar voice asked how everyone’s sessions went today, and he glanced over his shoulder briefly at Kate before turning back to the chart he was filling in. He chuckled slightly with the rest of the Trainers as James reported on an incident that had gone down with one of his newer Recruits, and slowly, the group parted, each person going off to take a well earned break or get on with other responsibilities that came with being a Trainer.

For the first time in a few days, Graham had nothing he had to get  to, so he took his time making a brief note of each of his Trainees’ progress for himself, only to realise that everyone but Kate had disappeared. His stomach flopped over on itself as he looked at her again and he turned to her as he put away his clipboard. “How’re things going?” he asked, trying to sound as casual as possible while keeping the conversation rather professional. “You look like you’re doing well with your group.”

[kate-randall]

She stayed where she was as everyone continued to go on about their Trainees. Kate watched as the other trainers began to disappear one by one. It wasn't long until she was alone with Graham in the large training facility. She couldn't help herself but feel comfortable around him, he was the one who showed her the ropes of training and taught her almost everything that she knew about the recruit side of STRATUS. He seemed to be the closest thing to an older brother figure she had right now. Once he went to put his clipboard away, she followed suit and did the same.

His voice picked up as he began to speak. The conversation seemed nothing out of the ordinary to Kate, after all the two of them were co-workers or something of the sort. "Thanks, but they could be doing better. There's a lot of mistakes all over the place, but sometimes I don't think some of them are taking everything seriously just yet." She slid her clipboard into the slot that was labeled with her last name, Randall. Everything in the facility seemed to have it's organized place, whether it was official or not. "What about you? Seems like your trainees are getting better with everything you seem to throw at them."

Kate's eyes flashed up to his and looked back at him just as they did every conversation she had with someone. She held her gaze with his for the duration of his answer. Another bell went off throughout the entire building, signaling everyone that dinner was going to be served shortly. The bell rang through the now empty training facility and the sound traveled to every corner of the place. "You want to head over to the dining hall?" Without waiting for his answer, she started to slowly walk away from him. She continued to back up, getting further away from him. It wasn't that she felt any danger from him, it would just give the two of them time to do something with one another instead of just standing still. "So are you coming? Or are you going to enjoy standing there by yourself?"

[kate-randall]

Fragments || Kate and Graham

The smell of sweat filled the air as every recruit pushed themselves harder. Some were sitting in a small group and just fooling around with themselves, barely breaking a sweat, and others ran through courses while being shouted at. The room was in a sort of organized chaos. Shouts came from one area of the training facility, the place where people were constantly put in their place. Kate never let something hold her back from pushing her recruits as hard as she could. Elements were being thrown all over and a battle-like scene rose in front of her as she barked at the trainees to try harder and work together. The training facility at STRATUS seemed to be able to withstand anything that they threw at it. Kate watched as her trainees moved in unison with such grace as if they had practiced this same dance a thousand times before. Her slight training to be a proper trainer seemed as if she was raised with it since she was a child, when in reality it had only been a few weeks since she had finished her last session with Graham.

A loud bell sounded, signaling the ending of the training session. Everyone stopped what they were doing and just started to be themselves again. People who were fighting against one another in a mock fight were laughing with each other. They all seemed to get along as if they were meant to be around one another. Kate passed through the group of trainees who were already beginning to kick back. She said a few words to familiar faces she saw along the way. Words of encouragement rarely escaped her lips, most of the time it was something like "You could do this better" or "You're slacking so cut it out and man up". Outside of her assigned trainees, she barely spoke to the others besides the other trainers. Most of the conversations she held with them were about potentially improving certain aspects or comparing strategies, never about what they were doing in regards to their personal relationships. 

Kate made her way over to the small group of trainers that hung back in the room as everyone else slowly began to make their way out of the room. The others seemed to be enjoying themselves and talking about how well that session went. She flashed a short, small smile, her typical greeting to the others around STRATUS. "How was all of your sessions today?" She asked once she was inside of the small circle. She stood with her back straight and arms crossed as she usually did. Few people have seen her relaxing or slacking for the hell of it, they always saw her as disciplined. The others started to chirp about how well a particular recruit was today and how they thought today was great compared to the last few ones. 

[luke-sullivann]

Proving Yourself Right || Luke&Kate

[luke-sullivann]

A voice pierced the silence of the barn owned by the one and only Kate Randall. She was a Hardass, maybe, but she wasn’t soulless. “I’m not gonna be failing. I hope you saved room for your doubting words, because you’ll be eating them after this.” He returned, as he fell into step behind her. She obviously didn’t slow down for anyone, that was for certain. He scoffed, “I can walk perfectly fine, Kate. Besides, I’m the one who suggested this whole thing. I wouldn’t make you take the fall for it.” He shrugged, knowing she couldn’t see him do it. He pushed a free branch out of the way, and rolled his eyes. It was so pointless walking behind her.

The boy jogged a couple steps to catch up to the trainer so he was keeping better pace with her. “So where is this course anyway?” He asked, glancing around at the thick trees that engulfed the area around them. It was getting darker, but the moon broke through the branches just enough to light the trail that was before them. He looked over at the girl who seemed to have her eyes trained ahead.

He was the nice guy around camp. No one took him seriously, everyone believed he was as big a slacker as Oliver. While he did tend to slack off every now and again, but never enough to get anyone hurt, because he knew how guilty he would feel for the rest of his life if he was the reason one of the people around the camp got injured, of even worse. As the nice guy, though, he always tried to be nice to everyone and treated them equally and fairly. While he did poke fun at Kate’s solemness, she was a person with likes and dislikes and feelings and she deserved someone to be friendly to her too. “So, Kate, what do you do in your free time? I mean…do you have free time?” Small talk. Both awkward, and useful at the same time. It was it’s own kind of paradox.

[kate-randall]

Kate heard his voice start from behind her and get louder as he jogged to his side. It wasn't usual for her to have small talk conversations with people around her, typically she left it to them to find their own entertainment. Without looking at him, she answered his question. "About a mile and a half out on the Trails. Hope you're good with climbing as well." She continued on in silence with Luke falling in place next to her. Most of the time when she was out on the Trails, she was surrounded by recruits or off by herself, never with another person. It just felt different than things had before. She heard him pick up his voice once again, trying to fill the empty silence that hung in the air.

"Never gave it much thought. I kind of just... walk. I don't have a whole lot of time left over with having to look after all the crap you and the rest of the lot do." Kate knew it was a lie. She didn't just go around and walk. Nearly every time she has even the slightest bit of free time, she'd begin to think about what she would do to get back at those who worked at STRATUS. The weight of the guilt from all the people she's sent to death hung on her ever since she first heard the news of the supernatural dogfights. Just like everyone else, she went into a bit of a shock. The fact that the organization that improved their lives was taking them away without any sort of warning.

A short gust of wind blew past the two of them, raising goosebumps on Kate's covered arms. Despite having been in the same area for the past ten years or so of her life, she still hasn't been able to get used to the brisk air in the later months. Kate rubbed both of her hands together, allowing a small flame to grow between them. The small fire warmed her up significantly and disappeared as soon as it appeared. For the first time since they left the Barn, she looked at Luke walking beside her. "And what exactly do you do? Besides goofing off and trying to make people laugh."

[leonardecaprio]

“I don’t care if people know who I am or if I make a ton of money, I just love my work so much.”

[graham-duncan]

We’ll call a meeting next if people are still slacking.

Do I need to do it again, or would you like a shot?

[kate-randall]

I can give it a shot.

Unless you don't think I'm capable of doing it.

[luke-sullivann]

Proving Yourself Right || Luke&Kate

Luke was a man who loved a good joke here and there. He believed being able to relax and laugh was just as important as to maintain a well run well controlled government- or group in their case. On the other hand, he honestly didn’t believe Kate had ever had a day of real fun in her life. She wasn’t a bad person, she was just too serious. He doubted he could really completely change that, but he was making it a personal goal to see if he could manage to make her laugh. It was just in his nature. He liked making people happy, and Randall the Hardass was no exception.

He finished the last food off his dinner plate and stood, cleaning away the place he sat before he headed towards the trails. He had been challenged, and it was a challenge he would take. He could handle himself, there was no doubt about it. Piper wasn’t the classic trainer, and he hadn’t certainly hadn’t applied himself in the past. It may have saved his life, but it didn’t help his reputation. However, when he did apply himself he was very capable and powerful at that. He would prove it to Kate, too.

Luke stood proudly at the entrance of the trails, waiting for the solemn brunette so he could prove her wrong. He cracked his knuckles for good measure, making himself chuckle lightly, as he twisted his neck to either side. Luke looked up every time he heard feet, half wondering if she had blown him off and also out of habit of listening for STRATUS members that could’ve tracked them or had managed to be tipped off. It was a common nightmare of anyone in the camp, and it was something that could happen at any moment, god forbid. He shook himself out of the thoughts, fearing it would weigh him down too much to the point of not being able to focus on what he was doing. He looked up hearing more footsteps.

[kate-randall]

Kate sat at the back of the small dinning hall that held all the runaways with the other trainers. Everyone was relaxing from the long day of training and just stopped being who they were a few hours ago. Most were focused or were at least trying to be, but now they were just someone completely different. Laughter and voices bounced off the walls as they were winding down from the activities and work that they were assigned to do during the day. Kate on the other hand, sat in near silence as she listened to the other three trainers discussing what their next move was to be. Usually she'd take part in the conversation, but something has just been a little off the past few days with the guilt from her previous graduates' deaths coming back to haunt her.

She stood up, pushing her plate forward with most of her almost untouched food on it. She scraped the remains into the trash. Chances are, she'd regret it later but that didn't matter. Her eyes caught a glimpse of a particular recruit making his way to do the same as her. Kate knew that the two of them were heading to the Trails since she doubted his abilities of passing through an obstacle course. Luke insisted that he could pass through the course, but something kept up her doubts that he'd be able to complete it. After all, he was one of Piper's trainees. Kate never really approved of how Piper chose to train them, but some how she was abel to help them improve what skills they have.

"Ready to fail, Sullivan?" she called out to him when they were within talking distance from one another. Kate saw his nervous movements that everyone else at the Barn did as well. Who knows if STRATUS has been able to track them down or if they've known where they had ran to in the first place. She started out the door, not waiting for his response. The footfalls behind her reassured her that he was following and that she didn't have to tell him what to do during the course. "Make sure you don't trip and snap your neck. The last thing I need is Piper getting on my case about endangering someone else."

[graham-duncan]

Well, you get on at your trainees, I’ll get on at mine, and I’ll make sure Piper and James will do the same. Handling them in smaller groups is the best way to do it - if not, I’m sure another lecture can’t hurt.

[kate-randall]

Another lecture might be necessary if things continue downwards. Maybe scare them a bit with the idea that we'd fall apart and be put back into STRATUS.