Sept 5: Like There's No Tomorrow

[Graham Jaeger]

Graham ran across the school grounds, doing various acrobatic stunts off of random objects on his route. After kicking off a tree trunk to swing on a branch to mock-kick a pretend pursuer, he gracefully resumed his run and soon vaulted and flipped over a bench. Then, he sat down to catch his breath and check his stopwatch.

"Good... faster..." he huffed before drinking from a water bottle.

(open)

[Winifred Winters]

"I think you lost 'em, chief," Winn says, leaning against a tree with a flask in hand. "Good job."

[Graham Jaeger]

"It's best to be prepared," he answered.

[Winifred Winters]

"Yeah, I'm sure you'll totally be prepared for hunting season now," Winn says.

[Graham Jaeger]

"And what are you training for? A lifetime of alcoholism?" he countered.

[Winifred Winters]

"I don't train for shit," Winn says. "I'm already perfect."

[Graham Jaeger]

He laughed. "Even if there was such a thing as a perfect person... you? Not it."

[Winifred Winters]

"That's rude. You don't even know me."

[Graham Jaeger]

"I know you only made it through that obstacle course by dumb luck."

[Winifred Winters]

"Wow. Jealous much?"

[Graham Jaeger]

"Please," he said, rolling his eyes, "I could have done that course blindfolded."

[Winifred Winters]

"Yeah, but you also have to train every day," Winn says smugly. "I don't do jack shit and I still did it."

"Face it, Rudolph. You suck."

[Graham Jaeger]

"One: I don't have to. I enjoy it. Two: Reality check. You barely passed a rookie course. Yes you have the right reflexes, but you're so idiotically reckless that in any real danger you'd be dead in less than sixty seconds. Or you'd get someone else killed trying to save your ass."

[Winifred Winters]

"Oh, please," Winn rolls her eyes. "You're not running around fighting off imaginary enemies because you enjoy it. You're doing it because you're scared of something."

[Graham Jaeger]

"Spare me the amateur psychiatry. And don't make the mistake of assuming that just because I can shift into an elk that I'm prey."

[Winifred Winters]

"I don't give a shit about your powers, though it's pretty obvious you've got massive insecurities about the whole elk thing."

[Graham Jaeger]

"Quit while your behind, Winters," he said, a little angrily this time.

[Winifred Winters]

"You're the one who brought it up," Winn says with a shrug. "It must suck to be embarrassed about your own powers. Is that why you're overcompensating on all this? Think that if you're some badass mofo that it'll prove you didn't get shafted in the genetic lottery?"

[Graham Jaeger]

"You want to know why I push myself?" he asked hotly as he got up, marching toward her, "It's because I'm done hiding. It's because my dad is probably insane. It's because I got sick and fucking tired of hearing how civilization is dying and I'll do anything it god damn takes to stop sitting on my ass and letting the world burn around me!"

[Winifred Winters]

Winn snorts, rolling her eyes. "Yeah, you're totally out of his shadow."

"I don't know shit about your dad, but I know one thing. You're still carrying his bullshit. Otherwise, you wouldn't still be acting like the world was gonna end."

[Graham Jaeger]

"The only reason it isn't is because of the people willing to protect it."

[Winifred Winters]

"People like you? Fuck me, you've got an ego on ya," Winn says. She takes a swig from her flask.

[Graham Jaeger]

"Well that's certainly the pot calling the kettle black."

[Winifred Winters]

"Yeah, but the thing about that? The kettle is still black," Winn says.

[Graham Jaeger]

Graham briefly looked like he was considering pressing the issue, but obviously gave up.

"Does the pot share booze?"

He needed a drink after unloading his emotional baggage.

[Winifred Winters]

Winn smirks and tosses him the flask.

[Graham Jaeger]

He took a swig.

[Winifred Winters]

What was in the flask was essentially everclear. Or rubbing alcohol. It was hard to tell. Whatever it was, it did not taste good.

[Graham Jaeger]

He promptly spit it out on the ground.

"Shit," he coughed, handing it back, "God damn... how the hell can you drink that shit."

[Winifred Winters]

"Oh, what's the matter? Not as tough as you thought?" Winn says in a mocking tone.

[Graham Jaeger]

"No. That was just disgusting. What is that, rubbing alcohol?"

[Winifred Winters]

"Wow, sorry I didn't offer you a wine cooler, your royal majesty," Winn says.

[Graham Jaeger]

"Now that's just flavored water, but at least that would have some flavor besides awful."

[Winifred Winters]

"Yeah, well, you chew cud, so what do you know?"

[Graham Jaeger]

"That your drinking a death wish in a bottle."

[Winifred Winters]

"Cheers to that," Winn says, lifting the flask up and taking a swig.

[Graham Jaeger]

"Well... have fun murdering your liver," he said as he started walking away.

[Winifred Winters]

"And you have fun living in your father's shadow," Winn says.