earth & water

31. witch. professor. son. W a t e r is the element of change. E a r t h is the element of substance.

[wildmalia]

@xavierxtyler

As a steady stream of students filtered out of the lecture hall, Max found herself fighting against a tide of bodies, struggling to make her way inside the classroom. “Hey Teach! Don’t you think your class might be a little oversubscribed?” she called out as she emerged on the other side of the crowd, directing her question to the professor at the front of the room, her old friend Xavier.

He’d recently arrived in Hollow Grove, but she’d met her fellow hydrokinetic a few years prior, whilst she was travelling across the country. Although Max’s wanderlust had eventually led her to adventure around the globe, she’d started off a little closer to home and had enjoyed Xavier’s company, helping him as much as she could with his investigation into finding his father before they parted ways. She was excited to see him again and had agreed to meet him for a long awaited catch up after his biology class had finished. “Seems like every kid at the university has suddenly discovered an interest in science,” Max commented with a smile, approaching the front of the classroom.

[xavierxtyler]

Xavier chuckled as Max walked in as his students ran out of the classroom. “It does seem like that’s the case.” He leaned against his desk and crossed his arms. “I just think people are interested in me using my abilities to show them something cool.” He shrugged. “Oh well, means they actually do their homework.” He smiled at her. “What are you doing here?” Xavier asked her. “I mean... don’t get me wrong, I’m happy to see you but.” He shrugged. “I thought you were going to Australia next, or maybe even Japan.” He replied. 

[xavierxtyler]

Lincoln glanced at the table Xavier gestured towards, furrowing his brow and considering the option for a minute before pursing his lips. “You know, I think I have yet to try this one. My taste buds are already burned off, so I can give it a go in hopes to keep you safe from destruction - or we can try it together and hope for the best?” 

Xavier laughed and nodded. “Sounds good to me, man. If your mouth just starts to catch fire, don’t worry..” He paused and a swished his hand quickly and a small pool of water formed. “I got you.” He laughed harder and the water disappeared instantly as they walked over to the table. Xavier picked up one for Lincoln then one for himself. “Alright, should I be worried?” He asked him with a small chuckle. 

[figuredmoon]

Office Hours || @xavierxtyler

His basket was good, AJ had bid on it for a reason, but if she had known it belonged to him she definitely would not have bid on it. Sure, he was rapidly becoming one of her favorite professors (he was the cutest too, she couldn’t even lie), but he was exactly that: her professor. What was she supposed to do, sit there all awkward and call him Professor Tyler while they ate banana bread and solved riddles? 

“I had no idea this was your basket,” she started, without even a greeting. “I mean, obviously, I didn’t know. Duh, anonymous auction. This isn’t even allowed right?” Since the first day of class she’d always been a rambling mess around him. She just wanted to leave a good impression but instead she talked until her face was blue. “Also,” she said slowly, “I’ve been meaning to ask you… if I could maybe get an extension on the paper due next Tuesday?”

[xavierxtyler]

Xavier chuckled as AJ approached him and he smiled at her. “It’s fine, we can just sit and talk about the paper, if you want. You can take the bread and you can go find your boyfriend or whatever.” He shrugged. He didn’t know what her personal life was like but it seemed like most of the girls in his class had boyfriends, at least that’s what he overheard. He pulled the banana bread out of the basket and extended it to her. “I mean, unless you want to sit here and eat this with your teacher?” He asked with a laugh. 

[xavierxtyler]

“Its a classic! And a great movie, I can’t believe you haven’t seen it.” Melody replied with a laugh. “Are there any other movies you haven’t seen that would shock me?” she questioned. With a shake of her head, she reached forward and gently grasped his arm. “Don’t worry about it. Really, they were human so they’d have been fine, they were just worried.” Mel explained, squeezing his arm gently and offering a smile. “And you’re not alone now, not in the slightest.” A small comfort really but the best she could offer. At the very least, he had her. “How so?”

Xavier shrugged. “Probably, maybe.” He chuckled. “I didn’t watch a lot of movies growing up, I spent most of my time in the library.” Xavier replied and shook his head. “I know, I know that’s embarrassing but since my mom was always at the school, so was I.” He continued. He smiled at Melody and nodded. “That’s good to know, Mel. I appreciate it.” He shrugged again and laughed awkwardly. “I mean, it’s a smaller here than Austin and well, there’s a lot more vampires.” Xavier said. 

[xavierxtyler]

“Chocolate is great. I’m more than a little bit excited for today.” she admitted. It had been quite awhile since she had last been in a date but Melody wasn’t going to admit that. And Xavier was so nice and thoughtful, she really didnt want to screw anything up. “Earlier they played Aladin and the last Avengers movie but this one is Breakfast at Tiffany’s I’m pretty sure.” she replied, offering him a smile. “I haven’t seen it in years but I always thought it was a really good movie.” There was a moment where she bristled just slightly at the mention of her parents as what happened with her father was still fresh but she pushed it off quickly. “No, but they moved here as soon as the town was established. Just didnt feel safe anywhere else after the war.” she explained, shoving her hands into her pockets. “How are you liking Hollow Grove?”

Xavier smiled and nodded. “Breakfast at Tiffany’s, huh?” He replied. I’ve never actually seen that movie.” He said to her. He chuckled and sighed. “Sorry to be such downer about that.” Xavier nodded as she spoke about her family and lead her towards a set of chairs where they could see the screen. “Interesting, good for them. Maybe if my parents did that, I wouldn’t have been alone for half my life.” He said with a small laugh. Xavier shrugged. “It’s nice, a lot different than Austin, though.” 

[xavierxtyler]

“You think we just run around town surveying things that aren’t burning to make sure they won’t ignite any time soon?” Link shook his head a bit, pondering the idea. Well, they did safety inspections here and there of some of the public buildings, of course, but it wasn’t like his usual day was filled with walking around waiting for a fire to start. “Besides, if there were to be a fire around here today, I’m pretty sure I’m in the place to be. A chili cook off can go bad in minutes, man.” 

Xavier laughed and nodded. “Alright, man. Fair point.” He turned his attention towards the less spicer food. “How about this?” He pointed towards the table. “Is this spicy?” He asked him. “I don’t really feel like burning my tongue off today.” 

[xavierxtyler]

“You slow down,” she narrowed her eyes at him in mock suspicion before taking another big bite. “God forbid me having a near death experience ruin someone else’s day. Sides, you wouldn’t give me the Heimlich?”

Xavier rolled his eyes at her. “Ever, you know I don’t know how to do that, right?” He replied. “I’m not a doctor or even a medical professional.” Xavier continued. “C’mon, you don’t need to die today.” He smiled at her. 

[victorbakker]

@xavierxtyler

Heat, generally, wasn’t a problem for Link. He was a firefighter after all, so temperature heat he’d learned to adapt to. But the spicy heat? For the most part, he could handle spicy things. He added hot sauce to his meals regularly. That pot of chili though? That was not meant for human consumption.

He was downing a small carton of milk when he spotted the man eyeing up the table. He tried not to make a show of it (he didn’t want to offend the chef, after all) when he stopped Xavier in his tracks, clearly his throat and glancing left and right. “Unless you’re ready to burn off your taste buds, I’d recommend looking elsewhere. There’s a chili dog a few tables down that’s calling your name, man.” 

[xavierxtyler]

Xavier chuckled and patted the man on the back. “Alright, alright. I’ll head over there. Come on.” he said, pulling Link with him. “It’ll help with whatever the hell that was.” He said as he went in the direction the other man pointed to. “So, what are you doing out here?” Xav asked. “I figured you’d be wandering around trying to you know, make sure things don’t burn down.” He said with a chuckle. 

[xavierxtyler]

She was slightly nervous as she approached the entrance to the park, being unable to remember the last time she had gone on an actual date that had gone well enough to warrant a second. Her previous conversations with Xavier had been nothing but pleasant so she really really wanted it to go well. She just hoped that she didn’t do something to embarrass herself or lose control as a result of her new werewolf status. Which was something she had yet to mention to him. As far as he knew, she was human. A smile lit up Melody’s face as she approached and saw him, trying to ignore the nerves she felt. “Hey! Absolutely I love snacks.” she laughed. “I’m excited for this.” 

Xavier smiled and nodded. “Great, I have chocolate and some other stuff too.” He chuckled. “Although, I’m a sucker for chocolate.” He said with a small shrug. “So, do you know what movie they’re showing?” Xavier asked as he headed towards the open area. “I think it’s black and white... Not sure though.” He said with another chuckle. He was nervous and of course he was rambling. “You said you lived here your whole life right?” Xavier asked her. He didn’t want to jump right into his questions but he figured he had to start somewhere. “Were your parents born here too?” He asked. 

[xavierxtyler]

@melodydavenport

Xavier was still surprised Mel had agreed to join him for the movies in the park. He had told her to meet her at the enterance and he had shown up a few minutes early, just incase. He knew there was the auction for picnic baskets but in case Melody didn’t want to bid on his or uncover it, he made one for their date. It was similar, except bigger. Inside he had popcorn, old-fashioned soda, water, a lot of candy... ranging from sweet, sour and chocolate, and some lunch food for after. He held a blanket under his arm when he saw her approach him. “Mel!” He called out and smiled at her. He held out the basket. “I brought us some snacks, hope that’s okay.” Xavier replied. 

[everaltair]

“Sorry– you might want to give me a full ten minutes with my pancakes. I’ve been living off powdered donuts and buttered noodles for the past few weeks. And I almost forgot what these tasted like.”

[xavierxtyler]

Xavier laughed as he approached Ever. “You might wanna slow down though, you don’t want to choke on the pancakes and ruin everyone else’s day.” He replied with a small chuckle. 

[xavierxtyler]

“I understand that. I lost my mother too.” Mel admitted. That had been so long ago when Mark was born and she had no actual memories of her mother, having been far too young when she died. Still, pictures had scattered around her childhood home and each time she saw them, she had wished that she could have known the woman. “Who knows, maybe you’ll find that hot date of yours or something.” she laughed lightly. Her cheeks turned red when he moved his hand as she had almost forgotten that she had left it there. “Right, yes. Burgers. Getting those now.” she replied with a small smile before getting up from the stool and disappearing into the kitchen quickly.

Xavier laughed and shook his head. “Me finding a hot date is gonna be rare. Girls aren’t really attracted to six feet one guys that can control water and dirt.” He chuckled. He watched her get up and run off to the kitchen and smiled. Xav was having a nice time... Was this a date? No. No, it wasn’t. Although, he wouldn’t know. He had never been on a date. Sure, his mom told him how to treat women and that they just liked to be listened to and held sometimes but no one really interested him. Even with that thought, there was something about Melody that he found interesting. She was gorgeous, sure, but the fact that she owned this whole restaurant and was clearly doing things on her own terms... Xavier admired that. 

[xavierxtyler]

Melody was slowly growing more comfortable spending more and more time out of her apartment, trying to fall back into her daily routine. The routine brought her comfort and allowed her to feel almost normal again. The feeling of normality never lasted too long but it at least gave her something to hold onto and focus on. Her days had begun to move far more quickly the more she spent at Hell’s Kitchen, a smile plastered to her face at all times even if it was fake. She was just finishing up taking an order at the bar when she spotted Xavier approaching. The smile she offered was real but faltered slightly at his question. “You..want to go on a date with me?” she asked, more than a bit confused. “Are you sure?”

Her thoughts were racing as she considered his question. It certainly wasn’t that she didn’t want to go, she actually liked the man quite a lot based on their conversation. The word ‘yes’ nearly slipped from her lips before she could stop it. Was she really in any position to go on a date with someone? Mel didn’t trust herself at the moment, not even a little bit, but he seemed so kind. Perhaps she could say yes and test the waters, making sure that whatever the date was it didn’t happen too close to the next full moon.

“I think…yeah. I think i’d like that a lot.”

Xavier nodded and tilted his head. “Of course... I wouldn’t be asking if I didn’t want to go out with you.” He said. Handing her the flowers, he took a step back and nodded. “So, I heard that spring thing is coming up this weekend and well, I’m wondering if you wanted to go with me to that movies in the park thing?” He asked her with a small smile. 

He hadn’t asked a girl out in his entire life, he’d only taken girls home from the bars and they were usually gone before the morning came anyways. He shook his head and shrugged. “If not, I’m sure there’s something else we can do in this small town.” Xavier replied. “Your choice. I’m just glad you said yes.” 

[xavierxtyler]

It was hard for Chloe’s ego to not inflate a little when Xavier boasted about her profession choice. His words were preaching to the choir – it was something she always thought, and was partly what inspired her to pursue science as a career. She liked to prove herself, and she definitely got enjoyment when she could prove her skills to those who might think less of her. “That is very refreshing to hear. Now if we could convince everyone to think that way,” she laughed.

She chuckled again, completely agreeing with his description of the town. “Pretty much. This town is just… I don’t even know. You love it and you hate it. It’s where you can feel the most comfortable with your own kind, but by staying here, you are pretty much are unable to avoid the unavoidable.” Not that trying to fit into the human world would be much better, she thought to herself.

Xavier laughed and shrugged. “If we could convince everyone, there would be a woman president and climate change would be gone.” He replied honestly with a smile. He raised his eyebrows and nodded. “Alright, noted.” Xavier replied. 

He sighed and ran a hand over his head and smiled at the girl. “It makes things harder though, if I’m being honest. I’m uh, here in town looking for someone and well, if I don’t find him here... I don’t know where else to look.” Xavier replied. He looked up and heard his name being called, this prompted him to excuse himself to get his coffee and then returned to his seat next to the woman. “Sorry... Did you say something?” He asked her. 

[xavierxtyler]

@melodydavenport

Xavier had spent the last few days going back and forth about asking out Melody. They had a nice conversation at her restaurant but he left without her number or any plans of seeing her again. He wanted to though, see her again. On his way home from the university, he made the split decision to stop by to see her. He almost opened the door to the resturant but decided going in empty handed would be a bad idea. With a single swish of his hand, a bouquet of light purple flowers appeared. He smiled and pulled the door to the resturant open and saw her at the back, standing at the bar. He alerted the hostess, smiling at her as he walked towards Melody. He cleared his throat before speaking so he wouldn’t scare her. “Melody. I’m just wondering if you would want to go on a date with me?” He asked with a smile plastered on his face. 

[xavierxtyler]

“I’ll have to keep Austin on my list of places to go then. If I ever get another vacation.” she chuckled lightly. Moving forward so quickly made it much easier for her to pretend that she had actually been on vacation and not…huddled in her apartment trying to hide from what she had become. “Ah, a shame. I’ll have to see about getting you to change your mind. It’s a lot of fun to listen to and even more fun to dance to. If you have the right dance partner.” she added with a smile. Her smile faltered just slightly when he brought up his mother. “I’m sorry.” Without thinking, she reached forward and grabbed his hand. giving it a slight squeeze.

Xavier glanced down at her hand, which was warm against his. He smiled at Melody and nodded. “It’s alright, she’s been gone a long time now. Still hurts sometimes though.” He replied with a small smile. “Anyways, about that jazz club. No one wants to see me dance, either, so I doubt any girl in town would take me there.” He replied. Xavier looked down and noticed she hadn’t pulled her hand away and for a moment, he wanted to move it away. Melody was nice, pretty and seemed to have her life together. Xavier almost wanted to ask her out on a date here and now but decided against it. He took another sip of his beer and squeezed Mel’s hand before slowly pulling it away, keeping eye contact with her. He cleared his throat before speaking. “So, those burgers?” He asked awkwardly.

[xavierxtyler]

Chloe reached over the table to shake the hand he offered. “Chloe, it’s lovely to meet you as well,” she said. “Oh biology teacher? Well we have something in common then. I work at Greyson Medical Technology as a biomedical engineer,” she told him. She always got excited when she found someone else within science careers. “I lived here for most of my life actually,” she began. “Born and raised, but I left town a couple of years ago to travel. So I’m trying to catch up on all the crazy things that have happened since I left.”

Xavier’s eyes raised. “A biomedical engineer, impressive.” He replied. “It’s nice to see a woman in that field. I’ve always thought there was a need for more woman in science...” He chuckled. “It gets kind of old listening to the same old white man bitching about how his research isn’t going how he planned.” Xavier shrugged and chuckled. “Awesome, I’ve met a fair amount of people this week that have been born here... It’s fascinating. I had no idea this place even existed until two months ago.” He replied. “Crazy?” He asked in a surprised tone. “What could possibly go on around here that’s crazier then a bunch of supernaturals living under the same roof?” He asked him.