-- BUT I LIKELY SHOULDN'T BE HERE [thomas]

Thomas wanted a cat. There was reasoning behind this too, as he looked at the magazine his brother had given to him, with no explanation other than he wanted to get rid of it. One of those home and garden rags that the man would never read, and he couldn't think of a good reason Mark was reading it, either. He looked down at it as he ate, the sandwich he made only being paid half of his attention. The apartment was lonely, and he was planning to move into a house. He was sick of living in a small apartment. Not like he had a girlfriend or anything to live with him, but he'd caught wind that Hanna had a fiance and that they'd bought a new house. He could do that too. Show her up, with his bachelor pad. Only one cat, and a disco ball, and one of those refrigerators that you can see the food through. He had enough money...because he was single. Why did he have to keep reminding himself of this fact? He didn't enjoy it, not really, but he didn't see a way out of it. So cynical, he just didn't see the point in settling down with anyone. Hanna had fucked him up, so much so that he needed a cat in his bed, and not a girlfriend. Not that he didn't have girls in his bed sometimes, but that was usually it. What kind of cats are there, anyway? He flipped a page, trying to figure out whether he just wanted a black short hair or go all out with a calico. Only one, because it was the staple of a lonely man if he had a dozen of the critters around his house.

Thomas didn't notice that the woman had entered until she'd actually spoke and stirred him from kitty musings. It was Christina, and it almost gave him whiplash seeing her here. Almost about to kick her out, before shaking his head, looking as if he needed to clear it. "I was about to call you out for referring to me as Thomas," he commented, sitting down at the table. "It's going to still take some getting used to." He flashed a smile to show that it didn't irritate him, seeing her, because that would just be weird. As it were, it still seemed odd working with her now after teaching her. Not so much so that he would ignore her and slide away and pretend he hadn't heard her. He was a weird guy, but he wasn't that weird. If he ever did that, he was sure she'd be telling everyone that she thought there was something long with him and maybe they should get it checked out. He did not need another trip to the psych ward. "It's going pretty good. I'm uh...looking for a cat." He tapped the magazine before shrugging. "Well, not right now, just wondering what kind of cat I should get." He didn't know if she had any pets, but maybe she could offer some advice on feline purchasing. Like where he should even go. Maybe he should just hit Mark for giving him any ideas like this. "How've you been? Guess it's your lunch too, huh." He didn't have any more classes till later, and that could get boring. As a Calculus professor, he had to say he actually enjoyed the subject he taught.

Thomas had started off at the Academy when he was very young, but he didn't think that Christina would want to be lulled to sleep by tales of his youth. At least, not in that area. He did have some interesting stories to tell, but he didn't know if it was appropriate yet to share them with a former student turned colleague just yet. The man wanted to maintain some balance of professionalism, even though now that she was a co-worker, he figured she'd see sides of him that she'd never known before. In his classroom, he was a hardass with his moments of dorkery. In his personal life, he was just a dork, as Caterina liked to share with him, believing it was new information to the man. "Yeah, please don't," he said, but there was a smirk on his face that said that he wasn't being a d-bag and telling her what to do. "And I'll refrain from telling you to raise your hand before you call out something." The new spin on this relationship was jarring, but not enough for him to be utterly perturbed by it. It would all just take some getting used to, and there was nothing at all wrong with that. Needless to say, he was proud of his former student for getting a job here as a math teacher. Thomas just didn't say those kinds of things.

His eyes returned to the magazine, now flipping through pages full of wicker furniture and decorative plants that weren't actually plants. He was going to own his own home soon, but he didn't see how it was appealing to decorate like that. He had a feeling it'd turn out looking like his parents' place, since that's what his apartment looked. Looking back up at Christina, he registered there might have been some amusement or confusion there. "Yes. A cat." He nodded to verify, and then smiled wider at her question. "Is it wrong for a man to want to get a cat? And yeah, I am lonely." Whether he was being serious or completely joking would be left up to speculation, but she was right. Another boundary he didn't think he'd cross, or just not yet at least, was discussion of his bad luck with women. Or woman, as it were. It was something he could discuss more easily with his male friends than his female. Of course, he had more of the former being a guy himself. Apparently she was not a very good aficionado when it came to cats, and he sighed, closing the magazine. "Think I'm more of a cat person than a dog person. But I could have both. And I'm buying a house, actually, it would feel empty if it was just me." So how pathetic was it, really, that he did not have a significant other and he was almost in his mid-thirties? I have my career, he thought defiantly, as if that could explain it all away.

He flipped the magazine over, now just reading the back as the woman spoke before looking up. High schoolers, he did not know why people wanted to teach them. He was deadset in his ardor when it came to them. "That's why I enjoy my college kids. They know the basics, it's just up to them whether they choose to actually do the work." His lips stretched into a wider smile. "I apologize, I have issues with high sschoolers." Again, whether he was being completely serious or not was up to speculation. But he said it in a voice that was completely free of any suspicion. And he really did not like high schoolers. "That sounds boring. You need to spice it up then, go cliff-diving or head to Antartica to do some research." Though how interesting could a math teacher's life actually be? He didn't know much about Christina's personal affairs, if she had family and did things with that family. It would be quite the kick to the ego if it turned out she had a boyfriend or some guy in her life at the age while he was buying a house and trying to fill it with animals instead of a family. He was sure his sister will be having something to say about that, but Thomas was determined to keep that information from her for now.

He couldn't say he knew much of the young woman's temper. A college Calculus class did not often bring out much of his students' personalities. They sat there, listened to him, raised their hands when he asked questions, and shuffled out when the bell dismissed them. The relationship between professor and pupil was completely utilitarian. Now, he supposed he'd be getting to actually know Christina if they crossed paths enough. Working in the same department made him figure that it was most likely. He smirked, even though he should lay off the newbie. This was clearly hazing, though on a less brutal scale than a paddle and whatever frats did. He'd never belonged to one, and he was not curious. "Oh no, I do. I have to discuss with most teachers that they should also refrain from handing me papers to grade because I already have enough." Thomas shook his head, expression drawn in an apologetic way. "I've been in your shoes, I'll take it easy. Christina." He added the last part as a show of respect, as a sign that when he was a douche bag, he would do it out of good humor.

The comments on his loneliness actually made to unsettle him, even when they shouldn't. He'd resigned himself to the empty house, he resigned himself to the future missing that nuclear family that really didn't work nowadays, anyhow. The fact that he shifted with the question, though, made it known to himself that he hadn't gotten to that point of admittance to himself, yet. He did not want to end up with ten cats and a possible dog if Christina could sway him. "Not that lonely. That's how I become the crazy cat guy whose house smells like a stew of piss and lemon tea." He had not been in the house of many crazy cat ladies, he could not say. His grammy did not have any pets before she passed on, as he recalled. The woman question his choice, and his eyes flickered to hers with a half-smile. "I've always wanted one. They're cute." And a notch lower on the manly scale. At least he did not coo about how adorable they were, how much he wanted to pet one. His face was far too serious for what he had just suggested to him, and that was concerning. "Maybe," he murmured, scratching his chin. "Then I'd need a housekeeper. Or a staff." While he did have money, it was not that much money.

Unshakable as the foundations of a building, he merely snorted when Christina commented on the high schooler tangent of his. He leaned on the table with his arm, stabbing his fork at a salad he'd packed. He had never really been big on salad, but he didn't exactly hate eating it. "I may just have to express my feelings a few more times, sorry about that," he retorted dryly, before taking a bite. He, like Christina on a lesser scale, did not hold back with his words. Sugarcoating did not work well for him. "It must be fun for you, huh? Only four years ago you graduated from the group, and now you're back in there. Bring back any fond memories?" Did people actually have fond memories of high school? He surely did not. He only had some recollections of what he'd been doing at the time. Mainly: getting into trouble. What was in Antartica? "Penguins," were the first things to come to mind. "Teaching math to penguins. Or, help those researchers measure the depth of the ocean and whatever else needs to be researched there." Global warming, he speculated. Living so close to the North Pole as it is living in Canada, he didn't know how much worse it could get down that far south.

Thomas leaned back, putting his arms behind his head. He cast a small smile at Christina, listening to her lamenting the fact that he did not plan on grading her papers. God, she really was so young, but he knew that he would possibly get his ear ripped off if he brought it up in some patronizing way. He would not do that to her, for as much as he could be a wackjob, he did not want to make anyone too uncomfortable. ”Now you're getting me right in the heart, I may just have to do it for you out of pity.” He was decently sure that would make her not want him to even touch her papers. She remembered her being stubborn in a way, and besides, no one liked having things done for them. It was a mater of pride. He'd been that way since he was a child, he'd always been a difficult person. Mostly because he grew up with his siblings, and he had taught himself to fend for himself. Especially in terms of food. His brother and sister would descend first, leaving him the scraps and feeling like a starving little orphan who had to beg his parents for more, sir. He still tended to hover a bit when he ate, as if paranoid that someone would steal his food. Things from childhood could stick with a person.

Christina humored him, for which he was thankful. Some may have not. But then again, everyone was different. That was why he tended not to judge people based on first impression, did not judge them at all. He was from an element perfect for that, a disjointed and random collection of people who just did not fit right. ”Are you planning to introduce me,” he said with a lifted eyebrow. ”We do share a common interest in animals.” Or one specific animal, ie the cat. Was he really so desperate? Crazy cat ladies couldn't be that bad, at least he did not think so. Then again, he did not know enough to make an assumption. She questioned him about the petting zoo and he had an answer for that one. ”The smell. It's unimaginable.” Such a collection of animals would bring a lot of noise, as well, but he was mainly focused on just how bad it would smell. He had gotten used to the smell of ganja, but all of that fur and food and feces...he did not think it was possible to get used to that.

It had been far too long a time since he'd been in high school to bring it up without feeling like an old man. He sort of envied Christina in that way, she was just getting started. He had not lost his passion for life, but he was aware of time creeping up on him. Not that old, he tried to reassure himself, but thirty-two and single was not the existence he had been planning on so long ago. All that time ago, he had Hanna and a future and it had gone right to shit. ”Trust me, when it is a long time ago, you'll wonder where the time has gone,” he said, sounding very much like an old man. He was sure young people got that a lot, simply because they were young. ”I wouldn't think it has changed that much. Teenagers will always be the same.” No matter how much time has gone by, some things remained the same. He even learned that teaching college-aged kids for so many years. Thomas smiled at the girl's reply. ”They would probably be a more captive audience, honestly,” he told her. ”And hey, they may just love math.”

He leaned forward, putting his hands in front of him on the table. The food had now been forgotten for a moment in opt of a conversation partner. He could never lay claim to a one-track mind, not at all. ”So how have you been adjusting, honestly? No hazing, I hope.” It would be an odd thing to do in the workplace, and that was something else left behind in school years. At least he hadn't been put through the frat deal because the Academy did not have frats or sororieties. Fund-raising was not in their best interests, as a matter of fact.

Sometimes he had to wonder. Especially now, since he may have accidentally added to his workload when his intentions had been joking. That only amused him more, since he had the full knowledge she would not unload her work on him. He certainly didn't need anymore, since it was his job that made him busy most of the time. At least he had papers to preoccupy him in his loneliness. God, he made himself pathetic. He really did not spend his time moping around, drinking forty ounces and wondering where he went wrong. He knew where he went wrong, he got engaged to a girl he thought he loved, who turned out to be just a bad person. "I will wait with bated breath," he told her dryly, his eyes stunningly flat. At least it was math, that was his one true love. I need more hobbies. Other than smoking weed. He really did not smoke that much, not compared to some of his friends. Maybe that was it, he needed a new group of people. After all, it was one of his friends who betrayed him and aided in the tearing-out of his heart. That had certainly been fun for him. He didn't keep in touch with the man, of course not. He'd caught him in bed with his fiancee, it was hard to have a normal conversation with someone after that.

Thomas snorted, thinking about the girl's he had dated in the past. There was Melony, who had been stocking up for an apocalypse. She'd shown him her shelter, where she wanted them to stay when December twenty-first finally came around. Then there was Agatha, and the name should have been a dead giveaway that he should not have been dating her. "I've dealt with crazy before," he said vaguely. It was just bad luck, he thought, that he ended up with women like Hanna and Agatha and Melony. He was just not good with women, and he was almost tempted to as Christina for tips as a joke. He could only imagine the sarcasm. "Well, first kids will be trying to get into my house and then the police will stop by and then it'll be Dateline NBC with Chris Hansen. And now I'm doubting whether that's such a good idea." The idea of children trying to get into his house because he had animals will make him that guy in the neighborhood that parents walk their children by really fast.

Christina's words made him laugh, an actual full-blown laugh. His moods swung like that, one minute incomparably neutral, and the other far too amused for the situation. He didn't actually notice it, only in the moments that people pointed out how weird it was. "You're only hope in that case is an early death," he said, and even though it was morbid, he was still smiling. The world had a gallows humor, it was how everyone dealt with mortality. He had learned from his siblings, who'd always been rather morbid. They were both older, and he wanted to emulate them, to be like them. Maybe they'd have accepted him then, but it only made the two bully him more. "Of course you don't miss high school, you're in it! You get to relive everything, how fun!" He really had to admire that she could even stand to be in that classroom, but she was a strong person. She could handle them. Tom guessed he just couldn't. "Math gets no love, it's kind of sad actually. I can't even understand why, it's easier than English. There's always a definite answer." There was no 'well, it could be this...' in math. There were straightforward questions with straightforward answers and everything made sense. How could that be confusing to people?

Tom decided to simply take her word for it, that it was actually going good for her. And why wouldn't it be, it was her career path, even though in his head he was mocking her and her choice to be around a bunch of teenaged brats all day. She made note of his hazing comment, and he laughed again, his grin spreading across his features. "Maybe that was just me, because I have a sister who works here," he told her, and that was true. Not that she had eased up over the years. Farrah just did not like him at all, and the feeling was reciprocated. Siblings seemed to have the inability to actually get along. "She gave me a swirlie on my first day, actually, and that was very reminiscent of junior high." He almost grimaced at the memory. "So keep an eye out for a chick that looks like me." There were so many striking similarities between the siblings, mostly their faces, their noses and smiles. They looked like their brother, but he took after their mother, whereas they took after their father.

The professor smiled at her comment about being crazy. He was probably about to cross a line with what he was going to say, but that was just all right. "I bet you're the kind of woman who keys the ex's car." He had only one really sour break up, but luckily his car had not been harmed. He loved that thing. She did seem to enjoy entertaining the thought of him being an alleged child predator. "That's certainly the kind of excitement I want in my life," he agreed. "And I have always wanted to meet Chris Hansen." He wasn't even sure if that show was on anymore, since he had never watched it much before. Only caught a few episodes here and there that told him what it was all about.

Thomas had to grin when the subject turned to her death. That sounded entirely morbid, didn't it? "Will it be a dry funeral, or BYOB?" he questioned, as if it wouldn't be all that much of a problem to him. At least he was making it known that he considered her an adult he could joke with. He scratched the back of his neck when she mentioned him technically being in college. "Now college wasn't that bad. For me, at least. I did pretty good in classes." The ones he went to, that's what that meant. He hadn't made too much a habit of skipping, but sometimes it had been necessary. Now English, that was something he skipped quite a lot. "That makes both of us," he told her, noting that she really did not sound like she liked it at all. "And we're probably the only ones. Most people hate math. We're like special snowflakes." Anyone who pursued math for a career was a good person in his books. Killed a guy? You were awesome because math.

His face was very serious with Christina's comment. "Oh yes, she is," he agreed about his sister, and for once there wasn't a question of whether or not he was serious, because this was serious business. His face stayed serious when she said it was a lot coming from her and that his sister would probably leave her alone. "Oh god, you two are going to gang up on me, aren't you." His eyes were wide as if he was imagining it in his head, and it was kind of scary. His sister was kind of scary, and even though he hadn't seen it yet, Christina certainly had the potential to be scary. Women were scary in general. "I almost have half a mind to get another job," Thomas said, shaking his head, another mood change.