A Shared Passion

[Roxana Strix]

Roxana had quickly found out about the new art teacher for the school, it was not something that was hard to find out with a person in her position. It had always been a part of her job to keep track of the coming and goings of people in the school. Especially now that she also had to sort of do it for her job as a member of the security staff for the school. She was thankful for the access Elsa Bellefonte had provided her, since it made her job a lot easier. No longer did she have to do so much sneaking around to get a hold of the information she required.

Normally a teacher would not really have caught her attention and everything on the women checked out that she was not all that concerned. It was more of the position that the person was taking on that had really interested her. She loved art, it was her true passion, and if she had a choice in how things in her life were meant to go then she would do something involving art for a living. Yet, she was not free to choose such things in her life and so art was something that she could do for fun and when she had the time. It should have been expected that she would make time to go down to the art studio to meet the new art teacher.

"Miss Foster, are you in?" Roxana asked as she entered into the ever familiar art room. She did a quick look around as she approached on of the many art projects she was working on. Most she had in her room but a few she had to keep in here for the sake of not having to move them back and forth and for not taking up 'unnecessary' space in her room. Her current project that she approached and went to remove a blanket off of was a to scale diagram of most of the Bellefonte Academy grounds, not yet complete.

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Tilting her head curiously to the side, Jamie's blue-green eyes scanned over the unfamiliar face of what she assumed was one of the students. She pursed her lips, but didn't respond until after she had jumped off the stool she had been balancing on to hang up some curtains to cover up the god awful color of the back walls. Brushing her hands off on her pants, she sighed with a content smile, looking over the wall once more.

"Yes, yes I am," she called back and made her way towards the student. She offered her a polite smile, making her way over to the art project the girl was looking at. She studied it for a moment, then nodded. "It looks good. You have an eye for details. That's good. Very good." She studied the model for a few seconds more, before looking back at the girl; she was blonde, pretty and fairly young. Sensing the girl's emotions, she found her to be very composed, focused and tidy. Good. She liked those kind of people.

"What can I help you with, today miss?" She wondered if she was part of the art program or if she simply had an interest for it. She hoped for the first though, as she would welcome as many students as there was, willing to take her class. Art was important after all.

[Roxana Strix]

Roxana looked over the art teacher when she came into clear view. The woman looked young, had nice features, and was certain she would be on the list of someone who people saw as attractive. Roxana just knew she had the urge to draw the woman, but she had to focus on the task at hand at first. There would have been plenty of chances and time later to take a moment and to draw the women in detail. Roxana appreciated that the woman was polite, but she figured an Empath would. They didn’t tend to be very angry or rude people from the ones that she had met in her lifetime. “I’m Roxana Strix. One of your students in the college classes and in the art club.” Roxana informed her as she returned the friendly smile.

She smiled a little more as the woman complimented what she was working on. She really did try to give it as much details as she could and keep things to scale. It looked more like ice then crystals, but she had done that on purpose. To her the clear crystals were like ice that never melted and that in its own way had a certain beauty to it. “Thank you. It’s taking me a little longer then I would like but that is the drawbacks of using your power for an art project.” Roxana said in a simple tone as she looked at it. She knew today she at least wanted to complete another building and that she wanted the project to be done before the IMAC event.

“I just wanted to meet the new art teacher and would like it if you could show me some of your work. If you have any to show me.” Roxana informed her. She really wanted to see what the art teacher was capable of and learn about her that way. Sure she knew information about the woman’s person life and what have you but that didn’t really tell her who Jamie was. Jamie’s art work would do that for her and she wanted to know about someone who shared a passion in art.

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"Roxana Strix," she nodded, taking note of the name for a later time. She wasn't very good at names, which was ironic. She didn't worry though. When you were a teacher, you had all these lists with names, which offered you plenty of time for training and learning to remember. "It's nice to finally meet you. I've heard a lot about you, and your talent."

And the model in front of them were just the perfect example for said talent. "Good thing art isn't meant to be rushed," she said, smiling warmly as she turned to look at the blonde again. "Art is all about expression, and how are you going to express anything if you feel stressed out about finishing something, but-" she lifted her finger, as if to pause. "-you always need to set up enough time to make sure you finish within the due date." Jamie didn't like people not finishing their projects. Sure, she understood needing time, and not stressing about it, but she also expected her students to be responsible enough to make sure they didn't bite over more than they could chew.

However, as the girl mentioned her work, Jamie lit up into a wide smile. "That shouldn't be a problem," she winked and made her way towards her desk. As she reached it, she knelt down in front of it and pulled out her portofolio from her purse. Putting it on the desk, she waved Roxana over. "Unlike you, I'm more of a painter and drawer, but I've had my moments where I've worked with clay as well. This portofolio contains pictures of most of my work, all correctly dated to show my progression. Some of these are from when I first started," she said with a chuckle. She moved to the side to allow the blonde space to look.

[Roxana Strix]

Roxana would not have been offended if the woman forgot her name, even if the name itself was not that hard there were other students of Middle School, High School, and College that Jamie would possibly have to deal with. Roxana knew that sometimes teachers were shared among the different grades but she didn’t know how far it went into classes like art. It was not something that was of a high concern to her since it didn’t affect her job. “Have you?” Roxana asked, unsure how she felt about that. Part of her felt flattered but then another part of her felt guarded. What had been shared about her and her talent?

Roxana felt like she was speaking to the smartest person alive as Jamie spoke about how art should not have been rushed. How it was about expression and how while you should not rush a piece, one should completely it by the time it was due. She is perfect. The thought passed through Roxana’s mind as she could not help look at Jamie as If she was some kind of ideal for a moment. When she felt herself slipping a little too far from her standard calm mode, she refocused. This woman’s power allowed her to sense emotions and she hoped that Jamie didn’t pick up too much there.

Roxana smiled a little bit more when Jamie said it was not a problem to see the older woman’s work. There was a wink however that made the smile go away for a moment as Roxana wondered why she had been winked at. She noted to herself to not over think the matter and just followed Jamie to her desk, already eager to see the woman’s work. Jamie pointed out how she did painting and drawings. Roxana did those as well but most of the time she did sculptures and drawings. “Thank you for taking the time to show me you work.” Roxana said as she moved to start to look at Jamie’s work. She was not surprised to see the talent the other woman had. It was amazing, the level of detail, and the way the pencil or a brush was moved through the piece. Roxana found herself already lost in the work, taking time to appreciate and look over every piece in the portfolio one at a time.

“It has been a while since I have seen this level of talent. You even communicate the feeling in an image so well. I can even see how you have improved but you certainly have a talent. How long did it take you to complete this piece?” Roxana talked a lot for a moment, going on about Jamie’s talent before asking her question. She pointed to one work in particular that had a lot of detail in it and the emotion itself was giving Roxana mixed feelings.

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"Yeah; I've been told that you're quite talented with using your ability for art," she smiled warmly at the girl. Gesturing towards the project she had been worked on, Jamie laughed. "And from what I can see, they were right too." Roxana had the kind of talent a lot of people wished for, and it was easy to see that she loved this too. It showed in her work. That was what made Jamie want to be an art teacher. Being able to witness the passion people felt about it and the way it showed in their work. It didn't really matter if they were good or not. If people lacked passion, their art lacked life.

Jamie enjoyed having the ability to look back at her earlier work and her newest one, because it showed exactly how much she had progressed. It was a nice method to show what she'd learned and what she still needed to work on. She had been doing it ever since she had first started and she didn't regret collecting all of her work. "Thank you," Jamie laughed, smiling warmly as she peeked at the blonde. As for the question, Jamie pursed her lips, moving her eyes to look at the piece the girl had pointed out. "Oh god," she chuckled.

She had to think about it for a bit, actually remember when she had done the piece in question and actually remember how much time she had spent on it. "A few days, I believe." She looked at the girl, running the tips of her fingers over the drawing. "I don't believe in rushing art. It's important to meet deadlines, but art should be appreciated and enjoyed."

[Roxana Strix]

"Oh, thank you." Roxana said, relaxing a little more. For a moment there she had been worried that Jamie had been informed of other things about her. It did make her smile a little to know that people had been talking about her ability in terms of art. It made her feel really good to know people knew of her talent with her power and not just of her being that silent security intern. Still, so long as he parents or SIGUARD didn't hear about how people knew of Roxana's skill with her power in terms of art, she would be fine.

Who was she kidding? Her organization likely already knew about such information and if they knew then her family knew. "Thank you, some think it is foolish to use my power for such a thing but I figure if I can do it, why not give it a try." Roxana said, looking at her scale model of the campus before looking to Jamie. She then focused on following Jamie over to her desk and looking through the older woman's art work. It was all so detailed and communicated emotions so well. I wonder if she ever sells her work. Roxana thought to herself, tempted to ask for Jamie to make something for her and she would buy it.

She was feeling...warm, at least a lot happier then she normally felt day by day. Art did that to her. It made her feel a little more than just some solider following orders and more of a living being with some choice in their life. Jamie thanked her and even laughed with a warm smile, letting out another chuckle once she saw the painting. Roxana was impressed to hear that it had only taken her a few days. "I agree. No sense in rushing something but does not mean you take your time completely and end up late. i can assure you I will always turn in all my assignments on time." Roxana assured her. She wanted to say more, but she was just so absorbed in the art work. That and she never really said much.

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"Foolish?" Jamie asked, furrowing her brows. "I wouldn't say that. I think it's rather clever. That's what art is all about, right? Using the means you have at hand to create something beautiful and express yourself. Just because you don't necessarily use paint, doesn't make it any less beautiful." In a way, Jamie wished she had a power she could use for the same. Even though empathy came with its own struggles, she was a little bit glad that she still had a power she could use to help her -- and others. Being able to read someone's emotions made it easy for her to help the students express themselves and guide them onto the right path more fitted for them.

She could feel the blonde girl relax more and more and it was truly a very nice feeling to be able to behold. This was what made Jamie love being a teacher. Feeling people be happy about what they were doing, and watch them grow comfortable around it, and her. "I'm glad to hear it," Jamie said with a nod. She didn't doubt the girl, and from what she could see, the two of them would probably go along splendidly.

Not that it was much of a surprise or anything. After all, they had a lot in common and that usually seemed to bring people together. A shared passion for art was always the best kind of ice breaker. An ice breaker Jamie wouldn't live without. It was also nice to have someone actually interested in it to talk to, as opposed to feeling as if she had to trick people into taking her class.

[Roxana Strix]

Jamie pointed out that basically she didn't agree that the use of Roxana's powers for art was not foolish but creative. Rox expected to hear such words from an art teacher, but even if they did make her feel slightly better in what she did, it didn't completely comfort her. In the end it didn't matter anyone else opinion but the people that she worked for. They saw using her power for art was a waste of time unless she was using that art to then be a trap and then being used to silence someone with it. That was all that mattered. What could art do for the organization and how could it actually be useful for someone in Roxana's line of work?

"Thank you." Roxana said as she gave the woman a smile. "I'm sure I could use it to pain to, but it would probably take longer to try and make a paint brush out of crystals that actually works then it would to just pain an image." Roxana added after, trying to make a light joke there. She didn't chuckle at it however, just smiled and went back to looking at Jamie's work. The older woman really did have a talent and for a moment Roxana got lost looking at the work. She likely could stand there and look through the whole book for however long it too for her to fully appreciate and understand the works. Jamie agreed with her agreeing with her and then there was silence.

Silence that Roxana didn't pick up right away until her mind snapped back to how she was supposed to always be alert. She could have been easily killed in that moment if Jamie had so desired to do such a thing. "Apologies, I got wrapped up there for a moment." Roxana said as she stepped back and put her guard back up. She could not afford to relax for long; it was bad for her overall. "How do you like you current position at the school? No one had given you any troubles, have they?" Roxana asked, making conversation as she moved away from the older woman and over to other art works in the room.

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Smiling warmly at the girl, Jamie nodded at the joke. She didn't say anything, though. She didn't really feel the need to. Even if she could see many ways of the girl's power being used for painting, she'd let the girl figure that out on her own. The discovery of one's talent was also part of expressing yourself, and she didn't want to take that away from the girl.

"That happens," Jamie chuckled. "My, aren't you a curious young girl," she mused, following the blonde girl with her eyes before sighing. "Well, teaching is what I've always wanted to do, and here I can actually use my ability, and let people use their own, so I don't have much to complain about." In fact, Jamie loved it. As for people giving her trouble... She had experienced very little of that thus far. Thankfully. "Nah, not yet. But you know what students can be like. Not all of them are as willing to work with me."

Even with that in mind, Jamie loved her job and she loved everything about it. She loved teaching students about the fine points of art, and how to better themselves. But also how to properly express their emotions into whatever they were making, which made the art so much more alive.

[Roxana Strix]

Jamie was right, along the lines of that it did happen. Problem was, it was not supposed to happen for Roxana. She had to be focused and ready for anything in her line of work. Yet here she was getting distracted in art and the new art teacher. She could not help but feel some level of admiration towards Jamie since the woman was doing something she loved and helping others come to share or embrace that passion as well. Roxana wished she could live a life like that, but it was not for her. Instead she was whatever SIGUARD wanted her to be, but at least she could look to Jamie and see what life would be like if life would have been different for her.

"I am. If I'm overstepping, please let me know." Roxana said, not wanting to overstep. Any information she really wanted to know she could easily look up or get a hold of, but it was not the same as hearing it from the very lips of the person it was about. Sure a person could lie but Roxana didn’t think Jamie would lie about such a thing. She listened closely, looking at Jamie as the older woman explained how she always wanted to teach. Then about how her ability helped others with the same passion. "It's nice to hear that you ended up where you wanted to." Roxana said, smiling still.

It felt a little odd to be smiling this much and once she caught on that she was still smiling she went back to a general blank expression. "Well...if anyone gives you too big of a problem, let me know. I know for sure that I am willing to work with you. So if there is ever any big art project you need assistance with, I would be happy to help you." Roxana said, that blank expression didn't last long since she was already back to smiling a little bit. She then looked at the woman for a moment, wanting to say something but didn't really know what.

She was not much of a talker so it was hard to talk about something that didn't involve her going into some passionate talk about art. "Would you allow me to draw you sometime?" Roxana asked. It had slipped out, since she tended to draw people without their permission.

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"Oh pish posh," she said, swatting her hand. "Don't worry." After all, Jamie liked to think of herself as fairly easy going. Admittedly flirty and often out of line, but still easy going. "I am too," she replied, smiling warmly at the girl. She too was glad she had decided to go with something she loved to do, as opposed to something the world wanted her to. Arts wasn't the most luxurious of jobs, but it kept her fed and clothed, and it made her happier than any job ever could.

Clapping her hands together, Jamie beamed. "Oh, that would be wonderful! I need as much help as I can get -- despite there not being many students, I always like having a second pair of hands." And she was interested in getting to know more about the girl, and her talent too, so that surely was an added bonus. Besides, the girl seemed to be more than interested, despite having something that was clearly holding her back. Jamie wasn't one to pry though.

Tilting her head curiously to the side, Jamie shrugged. "Sure, I don't see why not," she replied. She didn't mind being drawn at all, and if the girl really wanted to, it was just another chance for Jamie to get a glimpse of her talent too, so she surely wasn't going to reject.

[Roxana Strix]

Jamie assured her that there was nothing to worry about, which did get Roxana smiling a little for a small moment. She was doing better to keep her emotions in check. It was proving a little difficult when she was in an area that generally made her happy and now adds that fact that she was talking to someone who shared her passion. It was all just...too good to be true and Rox could not help but to feel in a really good mood. It was weird and it did make her a little nervous on some level. That was likely why she was keeping some space between her and other older woman now.

It almost felt too good to be true and that this was some kind of test or trap from SIGUARD. It would have been possible for SIGUARD to sneak someone in and Rox not know about it. Something like that was in the realm of possibilities and even something she would not put past her organization. Jamie clapped her hands and seemed fine with the whole idea of Rox helping her out with any project she need. "Then my hands are at your services. You just let me know when, where, and for what and I'll will be here." Roxana said, smiling again. She really could not help the smiling at this point; all of this was making her...happy.

She did note to herself that she probably should have added a bit that she would not always be free, but she knew that she was likely to make the time to help out with art, even if she should have been doing something else. "Really? You would be alright with that? I would not want to draw you in any position or appearance that you would not be comfortable with. So it would be completely up to you. I just think you have a very beautiful structure to you." Roxana explained. She wanted to be sure that her teacher was alright with being drawn.