vik suraj adani

"Okay so, the guy is freaking out and the other firefighters are trying to talk him down off the literal ledge. And I am on the roof in my harness, getting ready to repel down. They sent me up with the probie and he was just all tangled up in his gear and taking way too long. So I just take off without him and go down the building taking the guy by surprise as I basically tackle him back into his apartment." As CJ finishes telling the story, she takes another swig of her beer. "My captain was all pissed that I left the probie behind but if I had waited on him, it would have been a disaster." @sapphirestarters

"Geez, I'm glad you took matters into your own hands then," Vik said incredulously, taking in a deep breath to ease his second-hand anxiety. "How often does this all happen?"

nadya appreciated the offer for help more than she could even express, especially coming from a near stranger. she could even tell he actually meant it and wasn't just saying it to be polite without any intention to follow through. "that is so sweet of you, but i think i'll be okay," she replied. she always had a hard time accepting help, determined that she could do it on her own. perhaps she'd regret turning him down later, with everything she still had left to do, but that was a problem for future her. "wow, 7th grade, huh? that was a pretty rough year for me but maybe it would've been better if i had a teacher like you," she paused for a moment, her cheeks warming. she hadn't meant for that to come out so flirty, but it'd probably be even worse if she tried to backtrack. trying to brush past it instead, she rushed to say, "i'm glad you liked the cupcakes! you wouldn't believe how many orders we get like that during the school year" she cringed internally at herself, feeling flustered. at his explanation, she relaxed slightly; at least she wasn't the only awkward one. "well, in case you can't tell, you're not the only one who's awkward. although, i'm usually not this bad. i guess you bring it out in me," her mouth shut with a click; she needed to stop talking before she made it worse.

despite her saccharine promise of positive tides ahead, he could tell nadya was left in unprecedented and unpleasant circumstances. the inkling of hesitance that she tried so desperately to conceal became vik's cue to push his offer further. "you sure? i mean right now it's pretty dead in here, but wouldn't it be overwhelming if more folks came in?" he asked innocently, though retracting a bit to not project his intrusive thoughts onto her, "not that i doubt you could handle it, you know crowd control best. i'm just offering to make things a little easier for you."

"It's so much worse when a new trend on Tik Tok happens and it's close to the holidays becuse that is all they talk about, which I don't even know why children have Tik Tok, but that's a whole other issue that I don't even want to talk about right now." She shook her head and looked at him with a smile. "Thank you, they always instilled in me that I was very lucky to grow up as...not like wealthy, wealthy, but we never struggled, you know? They wanted to make sure I knew to always give back and volunteer and donate and do what I can to help those less fortunate and I try to keep it going when I can."

A visible shiver went down Vik's spine at the mention of the dreaded app that occupied his students' brain the majority of the school year. "Yeah, I'm right there with you. It baffles me how much time they spend engaging with that shit. I really hate nagging them about it, but it gets out of hand too often for my liking," he vented with a furrowed brow, "Skibidi toilet is one of the terms officially banned from my classroom." He took in the information she gave him to paint a better picture of how she grew up. "Well then you were certainly raised with care, not just materially but morally," he acknowledged, his tone ladened with admiration and a hint of jealousy.

nadya laughed at his assumption and how accurate it actually was, nodding her head in agreement, "i'm sure it happens more often that even i realize." her gaze followed the direction in which he pointed, her shoulders drooping slightly at the reminder of all the work she still had to do. "oh, only for a few more hours. i had an employee call out sick," she explained with a shrug, trying to seem nonchalant. she tilted her head slightly as she listened to him, a soft smile on her face. "oh, you're a teacher?" she inquired. for a reason she couldn't quite explain, she wanted to learn more about this man and was therefore quietly eager to soak up any information he wanted to share. a confused wrinkle formed between her eyebrows as she heard his confession, "nervous? why would you be nervous?" she could only hope it hadn't been because of something she did or said in their initial meeting. to be fair, the encounter wasn't super clear in her mind but she was pretty sure it had been perfectly pleasant, if slightly awkward.

vik watched the poor sweet woman slouch, his empathetic mind leading him to feel the evident weight resting on her shoulders. he could tell she was swamped, and felt the immediate need to grab an apron and pitch in. would that be strange to suggest to practically a stranger? he had a few hours to kill, and all of it would be time wasted on worrying about what he could've done to help if he left without at least leaving the offer on the table. "could you use a hand? i don't know much, i help my mom bake sometimes, but i know i can work a cash register," he suggested. his eyes showed his sincerity and his smirk acknowledged the humor in the situation.

"Breaks are important, doesn't matter the age, everyone desereves a vacation or some time off from work or school." She looked at him. "Though it does stink we have to wait until we're done with our work before we can have any fun." She joked. "They do both, to be honest, which I'm not going to complain about, because who doesn't like gifts? But I'm also glad that they help with the classroom and students too. I am very lucky."

"Absolutely, it's just the lead up to the breaks that makes me break down," he admits with a weak chuckle, thinking of how rowdy his 7th graders get as the holidays near, not to mention the influx of grading he has to do. "Your parents sound awesome," he complimented, "I guess generosity runs in the family."

status:  open. ( @sapphirestarters ) location:  the  reading  corner. when:  surprise  me.

vik doesn't set foot in another learning establishment during the school year, but the summers are when he finds his pleasure reads. he hadn't yet frequented the reading corner, but the library has always been a special place for him, especially in childhood. him and his dad would scour the shelves of the countries and cultures section as per their tradition, though this collective hobby ventured into solo territory as vik grew older. every time he enters a bookstore or library, he is reminded of these memories — both the sting of abandonment once his father gradually discontinued their favorite pastime and the nostalgic longing of the bond they once had. vik's forlorn rumination was interrupted by an inviting gesture by a kind stranger. "oh, uh nope, nothing in mind. just wanted to find a good read for the beach," he said, taken aback by her effortless charm.

"Ugh we're gonna need drinks after the stress of finals. Fifth graders are so brutal that time of year." Waverly laughed and looked at him and nodded. "Yeah, like two or three years ago, I asked my parents if we could start doing presents again, but I told them the big kind of gifts I want are for my class room and for my students."

"all they care about is holiday break, which hey, trust me, i get as a former child myself," he jokes, "but unlike them, i know how to save my excitement until after the responsibility period is over." vik raises his brows in admiration at the sound of her redirecting her gifts to her students. "that's very thoughtful, i hope your kids appreciate it. do your parents abide by your wishes or do they get you presents anyway?"

nadya narrowed her eyes slightly at the man in front of her, recognizing him from somewhere but not quite able to place from where quite yet. "oh, thank you," she said gratefully, wiping at her face in the general area he'd gestured towards in hopes to dislodge the offending frosting. after a moment, she looked back at him, a bashful laugh bubbling up, "sorry about that. how can i help you?" she felt slightly creepy as she continued to stare at him, sure she knew him from somewhere, but the memory continued to escape her. clearing her throat, she decided it wouldn't hurt to just ask, "sorry, have we met before? you just look... awfully familiar." before he could even respond, it came to her suddenly, "wait! we met at that chinese place a while ago, right? i said you should come by but when you didn't show, i just figured you forgot."

with nadya's initial reaction, vik felt a bit defeated — not by her inability to remember but his inability to be memorable. though he did notice something that sparked once their eyes met, and that was enough to give him a sliver of hope. "oh, no need to be sorry! nothing offensive about frosting on the face," he assured with a laugh, biting his tongue to not reveal his inner thoughts on the matter like how cute the dash of frosting looked on her classically beautiful features. "i'm sure it happens all the time right? i can't imagine how hard it is to escape unscathed," he assumed aloud, pointing to the kitchen from whence she came, "though, i am surprised to see you up front and not back there. you're not operating this whole place by yourself, are you?"

OPEN STARTER; 3/4

vik was hesitant to walk into sweet tooth after his first meeting with the lovely nadya. it wasn't because her or her confections didn't entice him -- it was quite the opposite, actually. he just had no idea how to go about talking to someone he knew, without fully knowing, to be inherently captivating.

"I take payback as a form of drinks." Everleigh joked with a giggle. "I guess that's fair, fifth grade classes aren't as big as seventh grade classes." She shrugged. "I don't mind. My parents always made sure I knew didn't get lost in the holiday mess for my birthday, which was very nice, but I did go through a phase where I just wanted my party to be a nice dinner and not anything big so we did that for a while."

"Drinks I can do, especially since your birthday is around Christmas break," he schemed aloud, imagining a cold California night spent celebrating warmly, "by then most of my final grades will be in." Vik let her paint the picture of her doting parents, imagining presents piled high and categorized for each occasion. "Sounds like you've moved on from that phase since you say it in the past tense, no?"

"You never have to repay me for celebrating you." She promised him. "Seriously, you should see my room on my student's birthdays, they get cupcakes, I hang up banners, I go all out." She laughed. "My birthday is December 21 so I get lumped in with all the Christmas fun."

"I know I don't have to but I'd very much want to," he countered, leaving out the second part where he very much couldn't afford to go all out, despite how much Everleigh deserved the hypothetical generosity. "Maybe I'd do a little bit of that for my students if I didn't have 6 classes of 20+ students per year. Though by the time kids get to middle school, they think celebrating birthdays are lame anyway," he reasoned aloud. Vik was impressed by how much she offered to her students, wondering how she had the funds to do so. Teaching wasn't a high-paying job whatsoever (his parents made it a point to remind him of that every chance they got). He had half a mind to ask her, but the lingering discomfort of the question silenced him, allowing the assumption of her coming from money fill his thoughts. "Do you like sharing your birthday with Christmas time?"

the only respite vik received from the summer and its incessant heat was its dimly lit dawn. the initial humidity made his raven-colored hair frizz up, but it was the only frazzled thing about him for now. the only sounds resonating in the seemingly soulless forest were the rustling of foliage and the crickets letting out their final chirps. it was music to vik's ears, abruptly interrupted by his dog's alarmed bark.

Everleigh watched him air out his shirt and smiled and then gasped when he said that his birthday had just passed. "Whoa, wait a minute, how come you didn't tell me your birthday was the other day?" She pouted playfully. "You know how much I love going all out for them!" She added. "34 and every birthday is special and you know this."

"Probably because I knew you'd go all out and I wouldn't know how to repay you," he admitted, ashamedly scratching the nape of his neck. "I appreciate you saying that though. I promise to do more for my 35th and you're definitely invited. When's your birthday?"

"I feel like summer flew by in the blink of an eye and as much as I love teaching, I am so not looking forward to spending eight or more hours a day inside of a stuffy school." She laughed. "How about you? Are you excited or sad that summer is almost over?" @sapphirestarters

"Yeah, you pretty much summed it up," Vik responded, "They really got to fix the air conditioning in the middle school. I'm afraid when we set up our classrooms again it'll feel as hot as India in there." Instinctually, he grabs the collar of his button down shirt and starts airing out the fabric. "Summer always goes too quick, and I never feel I do enough. My birthday was last week and I just ate dinner with my family as usual, but 34 isn't a special one anyway."