Not harassing Nathan [Joule, Phoenix]

Nathan put his guitar aside and stood up, walking over to the bookcase. He pulled one of the bigger binders from off of it and held it out to Joule, still looking rather sheepish about it.

"Well, this one houses the coolest sticker-- Harry Potter, Marvel, DC, Lord of the Rings, y'know, the typically cool kid stuff," he said with a small laugh at his own little joke. It wasn't even that funny, but he felt flustered showing someone his sticker collection. How had he let that one slip?

"Like... Do you mean actual physical books?" Nathan didn't have a MeChip. If he wanted to read, it was just a lot easier to get a physical book, and in this day and age, that was hard to come by.

"Harry Potter? Marvel? DC?? YOU HAVE MARVEL AND DC STICKERS? Oh my slugging god." He reached for the binder with grabby hands. "This is so cool Nathan!"

"Oh and yeah yeah," he waved his hand dismissively. "I have a whole library of them. They're mostly physics and history though."

"Yeah, I have whole separate binders for some of the characters that I especially like. I have more Captain America and Batman stickers than you can think of," he said, relieved that Joule found the idea so cool. He was glad he hadn't decided to show him the stickers he had gotten off of various fruits right off the bat.

"A... A whole library?" Nathan repeated, raising his eyebrows in complete surprise. "Dude, I have a degree in Physics. And a whole library-- Now, that is cool!" A lot cooler than his lame stickers.

"DO YOU HAVE ANY SUPERMAN??" He knew he was acting like a child, but he couldn't help it.

"Yeah, it's like one of the walls in my room. I like reading." Nat was a lot prouder of his library than he let on. He'd put his life and soul into the thing. "Wait did you say you have a degree in Physics?!"

"Heck yeah, I have Superman!" Nathan said proudly, taking the binder from Joule and flipping to the beginning of the hero section. "What sort of nerd would I be if I didn't have the very first superhero? A bad one, that's what!" He grinned happily, nodding his head.

"I have a degree in Physics and Chemistry both. I'm a science guy. I can name off every single discovered element and probably explain astrophysics while drunk and dizzy," he said feeling proud about that. He had nearly flunked out of English each year of his school career, but his marks in the sciences had been flawless.

Joule's eyes widened as Nathan flipped the page to the Superman section. He bit his lip, then broke into a fit of uncontrollable giggles. "Superman! Hell yes!"

He had every single comicbook with Superman in it in existence. He had all the movies, all the cards, all the figurines, Superman mugs, everything. Superman was his hero when his parents no longer were. He was also the reason he'd added the red cape to his suit. His reading glasses were also the same as Clark Kent's.

"That's cool. Man I could use some knowledge like that with my powers and all. The only subject I was ever any good at was history..."

Nathan chuckled softly, figuring that Joule must really like Superman. He couldn't really blame him-- though personally, he was all about Captain America. Even though Nathan was technically Canadian. He smiled happily, glad that they were getting along. Honestly, Joule wasn't as bad as what Nathan had thought him to be, and it made him think about everything before the fight.

Yeah, he supposed he could see them being friends, or as close to friends as Nathan would let them be.

"Y'know, if you wanted, I could always help you out with physics," Nathan said with a small shrug of his shoulders. Joule's powers were physics based, and Nathan definitely had more knowledge on the subject than the other did. So it only made sense to offer to teach Joule. If he agreed, that was.

Joule had never had friends before. He'd never talked to people, and he kept everything about himself private. Yet this group made him want to share it all with them. It had started with Kade, then slowly everyone else. He had always felt so lonely, and suddenly he wasn't so alone anymore.

"Help me...?" He pulled a face. It was embarrassing that he would need help from someone else regarding his own powers. But then he thought back to their last mission, and how useless he had felt, and how he had been unable to protect-

He let out a sigh. "You sure you'd be cool with that...? You could borrow some of my books if you wanted."

Nathan smirked slightly, raising an eyebrow. "I got a degree in Physics. People do not do that just for fun, 'kay? I love physics, I can talk about physics for days without getting bored. Teachin' you some stuff is just giving me more of a chance to talk about physics. So I get to help a teammate out, plus talk about physics." Nathan paused for a moment, letting himself grin widely, rocking back onto his heels. "Really, not much of a downside I can think of."

Nathan liked helping people. He liked being able to make them smile and feel good about themselves. It made him feel good. He was a happiness junkie. And Joule was proving to be a decent guy. Nathan would be more than happy to help him out.

"Oooh man this is so exciting! Well then I say yolo! Let's do it! Let's do the thing!"

He clapped his hands, overjoyed that he would get to expand his powers. If there were one thing in the world he loved more than history and Superman, it was his powers. He would sooner die than lose them.

Nathan smiled, glad that the other had accepted his offer. It would give them something else to bond over. Of course, he would need to judge just where Joule was when it came to understanding physics.

"Mm'kay then. On a scale of one to ten, how well would you rate your current understanding of physics?" he asked, continuing to rock on his heels as he waited for a response, mind already running through all of the basics.

"Oh I'd personally give myself a solid ten." Joule boasted shamelessly. Sure he was making an effort to be sociable, but he was still Joule. "I'm pretty darn good, I've been reading on it for so long. But I figured, having a degree and all, there might be a couple of tricks you'll be able to help with."

This bonding this was something he was not used to. It had certainly not been his intention when joining the team. He was just in it for the fame. That was all. Relationships with people complicated things far too much, and lead to illogical decisions. Caring for people ultimately lead to disaster. So he'd kept himself distant. Away. Still... Not harm in getting to know his teammates a little... right? It wasn't as if he cared for them or anything. It was all part of the strategy. That was all.

"So I take it that if I started talking about the structure and rheology of complex fluids, you would understand me, right?" Nathan asked, raising an eyebrow. He wasn't doing it to show off, but to actually figure out just how much Joule knew. He wanted to help him as best as possible. He could understand that Joule had to brag and boast, probably to make himself feel comfortable. Nathan could understand. But he also knew that Joule's powers took a toll on his health.

So, it was of the utmost importance to Nathan that he teach Joule everything he could. He didn't want the other to die because he caused his body too much stress. He needed to fully understand what he was doing.

"Uuuh... Yeah. Yeah totally. Pfffft. Elementary my dear Nathan~"

Complex whatsits now? He remembered reading about them, he was sure, but his condition had left him with a terribly poor memory. It was unacceptable, really. He owned so many books, he had spent so much time reading on physics, but his brain simply refused to hold onto the information. Why couldn't his powers be history related?

"Okay. Since that's so simple, I'm sure you can explain the difference between weight and mass, speed and velocity, and when it is necessary to use direction," Nathan said, arching an eyebrow. He could tell that Joule had no idea what he had just said. Nathan hadn't expected him too. It was even a confusing topic for someone doing their third year of physics in university.

"It's okay to admit you don't know stuff. I'm not going to judge you on it, Joule," he said, hoping that he could convince the other to just this once, let down his walls and admit what he didn't know. Nathan wanted to help him.

"Oh oh, I know that one! Mass is like all the matter one object's got stuffed in it while weight is the force the object experiences due to gravity. And velocity is like speed combined with where the hell the thing is heading to. And... Uhh... it's... necessary to ask for directions when you're... heading somewhere you've never been before?" Joule scratched his head.

He knew Nathan wouldn't judge him. He wasn't afraid of other people judging him. He was judging himself. After all this time and all this effort, he should know these things. He shouldn't be so incompetent.

Nathan smiled at Joule's attempts to try and explain it. He shook his head, chuckling softly. "You got mass and weight correct, but velocity is not speed combined with anything. Speed is a scalar quantity, whereas velocity is a vector quantity. Speed is how fast an object is moving, whereas velocity is the rate at which an object changes its position. It's like if I take a step forward, and then a step back. There is a speed in which I move, but because my initial and final position are in the same place, there is no velocity," he said, trying to make it as simple as possible, a soft and encouraging smile on his face.

"Ooooh right, I get it." Joule nodded, this time without lying. At least he was quick to pick things up. Whether or not his brain would decide to keep the information or discard it was a different matter entirely.

"But how is this suppose to help me with my powers and stuff?"

"Well," Nathan began, "if we just dive right into the most complex theories and laws of physics, without any previous understanding of what physics starts with, how do you expect to understand it?" he asked, tilting his head to the side slightly. "It's like... If you were to talk to me about how the economical strains upon 1900's Europe potentially allowed for the start of the second World War but didn't tell me what caused those strains or what they are, would I really be able to understand?"

It wasn't the best example, but it would work. Joule had said he was good with History, after all.

Joule blinked, as if everything clicked into place. Nathan could not have possible chosen a better example to help him understand.

"Do you know them? Do you know about the strains? I could totally go into it if you-" Realising he was going off track, he stopped himself. "Right. Okay then. Have it your way. I just wanna be better with my powers. Please."

Nathan chuckled slightly and nodded his head. "I know a bit. Not sure how my knowledge on the matter would stack up against yours though," he said with a shrug of his shoulders. He had taken a few History courses as an alternative to English back in university. "But I'm glad you understand that it's important to start with the beginning. After all, kinematics is pretty much the most basic of physics." Nathan walked over and sat on his bed, motioning for Joule to join him as he pulled an old textbook off of his nightstand.

"So, let's talk about Scalar versus Vector. Asides from Speed and Velocity, do you know anything about Scalar and Vector?" he asked, smiling warmly at the other.

"You wouldn't stand a chance, let's be honest." Joule winked at Nathan playfully. "But I guess you kinda beat me when it comes to the whole physics thing. Kinematics it is. I can already make things go faster and slower so that's something."

"Eer... Scalar and Vector huh.... Vector is... like.... Illustrator... and stuff?"

He really did appreciate the other's help. There was something about him which made Joule drop his guard and admit things he usually wouldn't.

"I could try," he said, still smiling. He always did try his best. Plus, he would probably take the opportunity to learn more. He wouldn't mind being schooled by Joule. How else were you supposed to learn if you couldn't admit when someone was smarter than you?

"Eh, nor really. You see, Scalar is a magnitude/numerical value which needs just that alone. However, if a direction is needed or involved, it is a vector. Like, if I say that the car was moved 20 kilometres, it would be scalar. If I said the car was displaced 20 kilometres east, it would be a vector. There's another difference between them, distance, and displacement," he explained. He had always wished to be a teacher, but there were a lot of reasons why that could never be. But being able to help Joule out... It kind of made up for his missed opportunity.

He soaked up the information like a sponge, nodding and listening eagerly. Nathan was good at explaining things - he certainly had Joule's attention.

"Mhm... Oh I see. Oh hold on actually. Give me a moment."

He shut his eyes, concentrating on his powers. Hand extended forward blindly, he made soft movements, as if playing with flowing water. A few minutes later there was the sound of something knocking against the door.

"Got a delivery!" He grinned and rushed to get it. There floated an old-fashioned notebook and a pencil.

"Now I'm ready for it all!"

Nathan blinked in utter amazement. Joule was able to do stuff like that? But he hadn't even had a visual on the items. How... Nathan's brow furrowed as he tried to figure out how it was that the other was able to do that. It was simple to understand that he had done it via manipulating the gravity, but without being able to see the objects? Curious.

"Well, let's see... Normally, I'd give you a work sheet and teach you the formulas for the questions, you know, but would you be interested in actually doing math? It wouldn't really have a big impact in your general understanding, other than being able to apply kinematics to real life situations," Nathan said.