Art 001

[Ms. Glass]

Ms. Glass was in a wonderful mood. She had some supplies set out on the first four tables - students would partner up. The supplies consisted of colored pencils, sharpeners, markers, regular pencils, pens, some paints, and a regular old piece of poster board. She hummed to herself for a bit as she checked an email - from administration, dammit, not personal life! - and listened to the first bell ring.

She looked over the list of names - students that would be in her class. She looked at pictures of them, just to be sure. It wouldn't do to have a teacher calling her students by the wrong names, after all.

Celestine smoothed out her full large gray paint-splattered apron as she stood.

She heard the bell go off and took a final look at the attendance list.

Art 001
1. Gilgamesh Magnius
2. Cain Alexander
3. Ryu Hayabusa
4. Amelia Drea Sinclaire Pilar E. Delos Santos
5. Sacricia Emily Lourdes E. Delos Santos
6. Quan Tian Meng
7. Tamara Ritter
8. Matrim Gallagher

The only students she recognized were the twin girls - Drea and Emily. A pity, that. Still, they'd been her best students in Creative Writing. She had no doubt they'd shine here, too.

[Drea]

Drea entered the room cheerfully in her oversized black T-shirt and jeans. Her bag was slung over her shoulder.

"Hello, Ms. Glass!" she said cheerfully as she headed for one of the four desks she'd noted were covered with supplies. She placed her bag next to her. She and Emily had been pleased to get another class together - and Drea had every intention of partnering with her sister. She hoped to, anyways. She probably wouldn't mind if her sister wanted to switch to someone else.

Still, the class list was interesting. She wondered if Matrim and Emily bore any ill will to each other. She hoped not - thought not, in fact - but the possibility was still there.

[Cain]

Art? Well, he never really thought about taking art, but being in a new school and all, Cain just wanted to try out a few new stuff. After all, despite his lifestyle, he still knew that he was here in school to set himself a future after senior year. And picking up a few skills may just help him do so. And seeing the sign-up list for this Art class, he figured might as well, right? Cain finally fixated his idea of this class as he opened the door, his blue hair waving as he took a quick brief glance around the room, realising that the only present ones were the teacher herself, and another student who looked oddly familiar to the junior. However, as tempting as it was, he drove his attention instead to the authoritative figure of the room. He stepped inside, closing the door behind him.

"Morning, Miss Glass."

The name was made known to Cain through the list, and he made note to remember the name when he came into the class. At that, he turned towards the nearest table, flashing the other student a hospital smile as he did. He was clad in a plain white shirt under a black zipped-up vest, ending it with a pair of black denim jeans and finally, his pair of blue sneakers. Quite a simple casual attire, really. Cain never saw the need to dress up so formal for something as simple as school.

As of yet, as he sat himself down, he was still unsure of who his classmates would be, other than a boy named Gilgamesh, as funny as the name sounded. After all, he was the second person to sign-up. He never bothred to check again who else might have chosen to participate in this skills class.

[Quan Tian Meng]

Quan was in a generally upbeat mood, not far from usual but still, it was the thought that counted. Not really sure what the hell that meant but what ever. He wore a somewhat stupid grin on his face as he walked down the halls. It was still his first day and so he had only been in the city of Long Beach for a few hours. As far as he was concerned he could learn to like this place. The weather was nice and from what he heard about california it was like that all year round. That in of itself was something worth smiling about because for people like him it meant that life was easier and somewhat less stressful, not that he really was stressed to begin with. Why? Because it meant that there were no hard winters for him to suffer through. No worrying about whether he would have a bed or now or if he would have to stay up all night to keep moving. He also heard that the folks in California were all loaded, an easier meal it would seem, that and less burden on his conscience, not that there usually was one.

After wandering around the school and getting to know the place he showed up to the office and got his course schedule. Boy, that was a funny conversation if he ever heard one. The secretary said that he wasn't a registered student and that he would not have a schedule because of it. Quan had explained that he was a registered student, which he was. The mix up had come from the fact that he was supposed to have shown up a month ago. It was what he had registered and originally intended to show up. The truth though was that it had been more difficult then he thought to cross the country with no money. He had ended up walking a lot and had spent a night in jail for hitchhiking. That and he got sidetracked a bit but could you really blame him? He had never stepped foot out of his own city until he decided to come here. The world was a new place for him.

Anyway he had to get re registered for classes, different ones. It was kind of a pain really as he didn't really see himself finishing school. He was just here to find a friend and then who knew? But really what was a guy like him going to do? He was a product of the streets, there was no way he was going anywhere, or so people had told him. But there was his first class that he was kind of excited for. It was this art class. No, he wasn't quited interested in the art himself. He was more interested in the mp3 players allowed thing. No, he didn't have one but he knew that they were expensive. Expensive meant a good price at a pawn shop and a good price meant that he had food taken care of for awhile or he had a ratty apartment for a week, or a month. Yeah he was only excited about the chance to easily steal something expensive.

He would eventually find his way to class. As he entered Quan gave a quick, obligatory look around noting the class room setup, people and potential exits. Paranoid? No, he wouldn't say that, as a child of the street he would call it being smart and potentially saving his ass down the line. He walked in with a smile as he looked to the teacher and greeted her with his native accent, "Laoshi Hao!." "Hello teacher!"

Was he aware that he was not speaking English? Yes and no. In the cities he generally spent time in China town as it allowed him to blend in and the hustle and bustle made him less noticed so a good deal of the time he was not speaking English to begin with. On the other hand he often did not speak english because it left him to his own devices as people did not really know how to deal with someone who spoke no English. That and it was often really funny to watch. But this time it was uncertain, half and half. Quan sometimes slipped in and out of languages forgetting that the other person did not understand him. Not even he was quite sure of what was going on.

Regardless he walked to an empty desk that was as far away from the teacher as possible...

[Matrim Gallagher]

Matrim was pretty tired, Shayne had kept him up all night and he wasn't exactly cheery from it. Still, at least with art it wasn't statistical data or trying to remember who did what, it was just creativity, and that in itself was a breath of fresh air. Though he wasn't that great at drawing, or sculpting. Painting he was pretty good at, since he had a good memory for color and shades and liked how much easier it was on the hand then drawing. So while he could do these things he wasn't very exceptional. But hey, at least he'd have fun, right?

"Hey little bit," Matrim would say sitting next to Drea. He knew Cain but he didn't know the other guy. All he knew about Drea was that she was Emily's sister. She didn't know if she was younger or older but he did know that she was just as short as Emily was, "How've you been?" He asked smiling over at her. He wasn't sure how Emily felt about him, but he hoped she didn't take his threat too seriously....

He wasn't exactly himself when he said it... and he really didn't mean it....

..... his bad.

So Art class with Ms. Glass. Hehe.. that rhymed.

[Tara Ritter]

Tara spent a good half hour trying to find the classroom. It was to early... This time of day really shouldn't exist. Someone needed to come up with a way of deleting this time from ever existing without losing any sleep... That, or just make school start later... That was a good option to.

She shrugged her backpack further up her back and took a chance by going down another hall. Immediately, she realized she had finally reached the right section, and that door would be somewhere here... Now just... Which one... Was it...?

She walked slowly, checking the number on each door until she found the right one. She breathed a sigh of relief, she had made it to class with time to spare! Good job Tara! She stepped into the class and looked around. She realized with a shock of sadness that she didn't know anyone that was here except for Matrim. That was... Kinda sad...

She gave Matrim a nod and took a seat behind him, looking around the room and trying to catch the eye of the other students. This was her chance, a class she always did well in. She could turn things around now! She just had to make a few friends and do some good work!

... She really hoped this teacher was nice...

[seishounohana]

A white-haired girl stared at her agenda for the day. She had AP Microbiology 104 today, then after that it was an hour of work at the Clinic with Layla, then...

"... Art Class." she thought aloud, wondering slightly why she continued to be so compelled to join art classes when she gave up being a mangaka about a year ago. Success and the attention of the Manga world more or less left Emily with no time for things that she wanted to do, or at least things she thought she wanted to do. Emily hadn't touched an art pen since.

She did a few illustration jobs upon request, but that was it.

Emily put away the piece of paper into her folder and headed to class. Drea had more or less convinced her to take this class with her the day before registration, even though she was slightly partial about it.

--- the temptation to return to drawing again.

Entering the classroom, Emily stopped herself from being a little too excited at the sight of the astounding amount of art materials in front of her. Her instincts made her want to ask the teacher if she had masking fluid around, and possibly several types of brushes...

...

Shaking her head, Emily quietly sat down at a chair right next to her sister. Too deep in thought to bother with Matrim. Her eyes trailed everywhere, trying to find materials she would anticipate using.

She was still a mangaka through and through.

[Ryu Hayabusa]

Ryu knew precisely no one. Well... Before he walked into the place, any way. This class wasn't chosen by him, it was assigned. He simply knew the period, the title of the class, and the room it was supposed to be in. Having memorized the floor plans of each building by now, he took his sweet time getting to the room. He sure as shit wasn't big on art unless it was the Martial kind... And even then, he didn't really care any more... so he was in no kind of hurry to get to the place. Truth be told, he hadn't even bothered remembering the teachers name. His mentality was do it, get it the fuck over with, and graduate these shit holes already.

After a few minutes of hall traversal, the Evil Angel turned the door knob on the class and walked in, glancing around. The hell was the school captain doing here? Having a seat at the only remaining empty table, he voiced this thought, "The hell are you doing here, Gallagher? I know you're not in the same grade as I am, or does that not matter here?" Valid point, right?

Dropping his backpack to the right of his chair, he rested his elbows on the table, casting a sideways glance at the captain a bit to his left. In the back of his mind, Chaos was getting a antsy. There was someone in here he wanted to...deal with. Ryu had a feeling he knew who it was, but kept himself restrained. With Matrim there, he wouldn't be able to deal with them even if he wanted to.

[Gilgamesh Magnius]

gilgamesh walked into the class room, his eyes looking at the class.. He was late.. He sighed and looked at the teacher.

"Pardon my tardyness.." He sat down with a few people and put his elbows on the desk and ran his hands through his hair.. What if.. He sighed and looked around, keeping himself from going crazy. He was going to be OK, just abit tired.

Gilgamesh's eyes were heavy.. He was late getting up, and late for class. He sighed and put his head on the table.

He would close his eyes abit, a waiting his teachers new order for her teachers.

This was art class.. Maybe he could get something to do for anything.. but what was going on now? Gil never saw this teacher at all and he kept alot of things for himself, so he pulled his head up and looked at the teacher.

[Ms. Glass]

Celestine smiled softly as the students entered. There was Drea, and Emily, and even Gilgamesh, whom she'd forgotten from her previous class. That meant that there were three students from her previous class. How delightful. Still, she couldn't help but wondered - were they there because they were interested in the fine arts or were they there to get the grades?

Ah, well, it didn't matter.

As long as they enjoyed themselves, yes?

She hummed for a moment, taking note that all were there and sent in her attendance for the day. Then, she moved towards the center of the room and greeted her class.

"Hello, class," she said cheerily. "You may call me Ms. Glass. I recognize some of you from previous classes - " She nodded to the twins and Gilgamesh. "And five of you are new. I'm sure the three who attended my previous class can tell you that I'm not some silly old easy-peasy pushover teacher. You'll work for your grades."

She grinned, before motioning towards the materials laid out on each desk.

"Admittedly, it's not like art class is difficult, ne?" She clapped her hands as she remembered that she'd been permitted music for the class.

"Also, I'm sure some of you are here because of the notice that you may listen to music." she grinned. "Well, feel free to do so. However, keep an eye on your particulars. I won't be responsible for theft, and if you find someone's got your things... well, if you don't to report it to me and intend on handling it yourselves... Well, give me some warning so I can at least get the others to clear a space, hm? I'd rather not have any materials damaged..."

While she might dislike the corporal punishment system, she had nothing against students solving their disputes by themselves, but her tolerance for such people ended when damage to innocents - non combatants - and materials or public property began.

[Drea]

"Hello, class," Drea noted that the teacher was in a fairly good mood.. "You may call me Ms. Glass. I recognize some of you from previous classes - " The teacher nodded to them, and Drea subconsciously nodded back. "And five of you are new. I'm sure the three who attended my previous class can tell you that I'm not some silly old easy-peasy pushover teacher. You'll work for your grades. Admittedly, it's not like art class is difficult, ne?"

Ms. Glass clapped her hands together, startling Drea for just a moment - she'd been thinking - before she returned her attention to the teacher.

"Also, I'm sure some of you are here because of the notice that you may listen to music. Well, feel free to do so. However, keep an eye on your particulars. I won't be responsible for theft, and if you find someone's got your things... well, if you don't to report it to me and intend on handling it yourselves... Well, give me some warning so I can at least get the others to clear a space, hm? I'd rather not have any materials damaged..."

Drea nodded to herself thoughtfully as the teacher spoke. Hopefully, no one would get into a fight during class, but it was obvious from the teacher's words that she wouldn't lift a hand so long as no one got hurt and nothing was damaged...

But Drea still got the feeling that if such an assault became one-sided, she'd step in. The woman might be empty-headed, but she wouldn't really let kids kill each other in her classroom, right?

Then again, she supposed theft was an entirely different matter. Satisfied, she simply nodded. Expecting more instruction, she sat back a bit, grinning as she nudged her sister.

"Fun, ne?"

[Cain]

Well, didn't this suck? As he sat himself down, the other students started pouring in. And being the analytical individual that Cain was, he, of course, judged every single one of them upon entry. The first one that came in after him was a Chinese guy, who most likely just moved here from Asia. After all, he greeted the teacher in his tongue, meaning only that he had yet to adjust to life here in America. As he watched him take a seat, he made sure to keep a hospital look upon his face, not wanting to start any trouble before class even began. The next one that came after was someone that was all too familiar to Cain. Matrim Gallagher. Upon his entrance, Cain felt his body numb slightly, as if it was reliving that spar he had with the School Captain, where he was beat down.

A girl followed in after him, and quite an attractive one at that. However, Cain was not one to stare, so he did not. Apparently, though, as she sat behind Matrim, she also placed herself beside Cain, who glanced at her for a moment, giving a soft smile as a silent greeting, before turning back to the front. And the next girl that followed was someone Cain knew too. Emily. He had met her back in 42, and just a few days ago too, at the baseball field. And the last two males followed in, Cain's attention turning finally to the young teacher who sat in front. Cain unfolded his arms then, adjusting himself upon his seat as the teacher started the class with a small introductory speech.

Ms. Glass? Well, he knew her name already, from the sign-up list. Despite how pointless and useless they may be, Cain continued to listen to her words. After all, what else could he do at that moment. Matrim seemed distracted to a girl who oddly looked a lot like Emily, while Emily seemed to be in her own world too. As Ms. Glass then pointed out about fighting here, Cain shivered a little. A tinge of excitement, that was all. Though, self-control would prevail here, as he stayed upon his seat. He did not have much to say at that moment, except...

He turned to Tara.

"Uhm, hi. Name's Cain."

[Gilgamesh Magnius]

Gilgamesh sat, his eyes slowly closing... He had his music with him, whether the teacher liked it or not, he needed music to survive. He looked at the new guys he didn't know and shrugged and looked at the teacher while she was talking....


"Hi Ms. Glass." Gilgamesh said with a smile on his face..

He felt like he was going to enjoy this class more than ever. He chuckled. Gilgamesh looked out the window that was near him..

He cracked his neck and shook his head, he needed something to wake him up..

A drink?.. Coffee?... wait do we have any in the class room? He looked around...

Coffee? no....

DAMNIT!

Oh well. Gilgamesh started to pay attention more to the teacher... He wanted more from this.. what ever he could get.

[Matrim Gallagher]

"The hell are you doing here, Gallagher? I know you're not in the same grade as I am, or does that not matter here?"

"Didn't take art in my last school," He said without even focusing as the teacher would start with her presentation. Matrim was a transfer after all, so required credits changed for him, coming in originally as a Junior at 259, than 42, than here. All without really taking much for art credits.

Ms. Glass Ms. Glass I'll pass your class hopefully with an A or a B,
It's just the start, but I'll show you my art, and then you will not fail me.

wait... that's creative writing.... SHIT!

Matrim had totally lost track of his thoughts for a moment there, but in the end he got a hold on where he was, two classes ahead of himself since he didn't have creative writing till later. At least Emily wasn't giving him any sort of indication that she wanted to tear his throat out or get her sister away from him, then again it was in the middle of class which might as well have been called neutral territory for things like this.

"Well, feel free to do so. However, keep an eye on your particulars. I won't be responsible for theft, and if you find someone's got your things... well, if you don't to report it to me and intend on handling it yourselves... Well, give me some warning so I can at least get the others to clear a space, hm? I'd rather not have any materials damaged..."

Oh, I like her....

Matrim pulled out a notebook and started sketching from memory, Sara's face. It was just a sketch though, but he was getting the details pretty well. If he practiced enough he could probably be able to draw anyone from memory like this. Waiting to hear what they would be assigned to do or learn from as he absentmindedly sketched out a face, his ears focusing on the teachers voice versus anyone else.

[Quan Tian Meng]

Quan sat patiently as the class filled in. He observed each person noting their actions and appearances. He was already looking for marks, particularly easy ones. The easier the better as he would be able to put in less effort for his food. Who knew maybe he'd be able to get a dirt cheap apartment in the bad part of the slums. Sure it was dangerous and those places were usually illegal but hey, it meant you were out of the elements which was generally considered to be a good thing and Quan had to admit, he tended to agree. That and it beat dropping money on a sleazy motel or looking for an overpass when it rained, or staying up all night because it was snowing and you had to keep warm. There were things about his lifestyle that he figured he wouldn't trade for the world. Then there were these things that he would gladly get rid of.

Anyway though as soon as everyone had come in and sat down the teacher began to speak. He mulled over his thoughts one last time before paying attention. Mainly these were along the lines of him needing more time and interaction to figure out if these kid's were easy marks. He had few nos already but as long as it wasn't full of nos then there was always hope.

The teacher started to speak and Quan listened with a slightly confused look on his face. He kept it there for appearances but in reality he actually did understand everything that she said. He just gave the look for reasons of laziness really. If he kept the teachers believing that he could speak no, or very little english they usually left him alone for the most part. You see that was the great thing about this country. It prided itself on its diversity. And as such it did the country had no national language. It meant that he could get away with what he did. So long as he sold his act and spoke correctly he had an easier time. It was something that he could do as a native speaker as well.

Anyways back to the point. The teacher pointed out that they could in fact listen to music in her class. That was a plus seeing as he could try and steal, though she did mention that fact. She said that it wasn't her fault if they got stolen, just to sort it out yourself. Though it might of been better for him that she not mention that he didn't care because he didn't intend on getting caught anyway. He fully intended on stealing and getting away with it. Hell, he would even pin it on someone else if he had to. Why? Because this was his livelihood, he didn't particularly care one way or the other about the morality of it because he knew full well that if he didn't then he didn't eat.

Regardless he took a pencil and a sheet of paper from his table and started doodling. He had no particular aim, he was just trying to find something to draw while glancing at the others in the room and occasionally at the teacher...