Post by Erika Bellefonte on Jan 8, 2017 13:04:04 GMT
When it came to time, it had been completely lost on the young brunette. Classes had ended a long time ago and she was fairly certain it was past dinner time as well. The sky outside had turned from bright orange to dark blue with purple streaks. Standing over one of the tables within the art studio, Erika folded her fingers over the portofolio scattered across the wooden surface. The only light within the room was the table lamp seated next to her.
With her usually busy schedule, Erika found these quiet hours to be the best ones to work on her portofolio. After all, it wasn't as if her dorm room offered much room to work, what with her roommates incapable of staying still for longer than thirty minutes. Pursing her lips, the brunette huffed to herself.
She heard the door open, but didn't lift her gaze to look. Whoever it was, they'd announce themselves if they wanted her attention. Until then, she was bent on making the most of her time. Of course, a little break would be welcome... Caught in a moment of uncertainty, the telekinetic finally lifted her gaze, brown eyes focusing on the person who had entered.
"Hello," she said, head tilting in passing curiosity.
It had been nearly ten years since Drew had stepped foot onto the Bellefonte Academy campus. In truth he'd given the Academy nary a thought since graduating high school and moving on to college. He was simply too busy and too focused on the future to bother with thoughts of school. His education merely represented a growth stage that helped move him along to achieve his career goals and nothing more. He'd paid his old university alma mater a couple visits, twice giving a commencement speech to the graduating class, but Bellefonte had drifted into the land of near forgotten memories until now.
The more things changed the more they stayed the same. The campus seemed largely untouched since Drew's last walk through the halls of Bellefonte. Sure there had been some remodeling and and numerous improvements over the years but the buildings still felt like the exact same ones he'd walked through so long ago.
Drew's business with the headmaster and other top level officials had gone as planned. They knew what services he was going to provide and he knew their expectations. Now free from business he took the opportunity to get reacquainted with his former home. He stopped by the gym where he had spent countless hours by himself at all times of the night and day, a basketball in hand as he played out various game scenarios in his mind. Then he poked his head into the auditorium. There he he had honed his ability in public speaking on his way to three consecutive terms as student body president.
On a whim Drew took a detour to the art studio. Precious little of his time had been spent there of his own accord but it remained a constant in a number of recently surfaced memories. His high school girlfriend had frequented the studio and he often found himself lingering close by while she worked on whatever project she'd started. The two would remain in the studio alone, talking about everything and nothing. Their last moments at Bellefonte together were even spent in the studio. With Drew moving to California for college and her to Michigan it had made sense for the long time couple to split. Drew could remember waiting for the taxi that would take him to the airport with her in the art studio.
Muddled by the lingering, bittersweet memory Drew hadn't realized the studio was occupied when he'd entered. Originally he'd only planned to walk by it but on impulse he opened the door and stepped inside. "Hey." He replied, offering the young woman a half smile and nod. It was obvious he'd been distracted by something, though he was quickly recovering. "Sorry, I didn't know anyone was in here." He explained. "I'm Drew." His brow furrowed as he wondered how to best describe his unorthodox position. "I'm sort of new here."
Post by Erika Bellefonte on Jan 10, 2017 2:44:45 GMT
No emotion crossed the brunette's face as she stared at the older man. He seemed lost in thought somehow, as if she had been the one barging in on him. Throwing the notion away, her gaze dropped back to her work. "Given the fact that you thought no one would be in here, kind of gives you away," she said and looked up for a moment, "Newbie." Shuffling some papers aside, Erika pursed her lips.
A name was given out and it became apparent the encounter was expected to be more than her throwing a snarky reply out into the air and that would be it. "Erika." A hint of amusement flashed across her features when she realized the guy had no idea who she was. Sure, he claimed to be new. But to be here, he needed ties with the mutant community and her name and her family was rather well known.
Drew studied the brunette for a moment as a smirk slowly spread across his face. He nodded once and shrugged. She had made a good point. He wasn't used to being so obvious, of course the very nature of his decision to resign from his previous job had been partially rooted in a desire to allow himself the opportunity to be pulled out of his comfort zone if nothing else but to see how he could function. "You got me there." He replied without missing a beat. He had to at least give credit where it was due. Even the 'newbie' comment was met with humble amusement as he couldn't tell her she was wrong.
"Well, Erika." Drew spoke politely, his tone falling somewhere between a teacher meeting a student for the first time and a student trying to find their way. "I didn't meant to interrupt you." His eyes lifted and swept around the room. "I was just giving myself a tour to refresh my memory." It was surreal being back on campus and it showed. For the most part he didn't have the slightest clue what he was going to find here at Bellefonte but not knowing was part of the appeal.
Post by Erika Bellefonte on Jan 10, 2017 3:22:35 GMT
"A what, late twenty something man stalking the halls of a boarding school way past dinner time," she paused, smirking, "claiming he's in need of a refreshment - well, Drew, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but the girls' lockerroom is the other way." Folding a stack of papers, Erika moved them to a different table. Opening one of the drawers, she pulled out some marking tape, ripped off a piece and scribbled something on it before placing it on top of the stack.
Putting away the equipment she didn't need, she looked at the guy from over her shoulder. "Be careful about where you wander - you'll never know what might be hanging around like ghosts." If he'd been here before, it had likely been as a student. She was all to aware of the ghosts of one's past and the way they seemingly enjoyed tickling one's mind.
"I already stopped by the gym. But thank you." Drew replied without missing a beat. "If I need any more directions I know who to come to." He'd almost forgotten such things as wit and sarcasm. Those were usually stunted by the sterile, almost somber environment he'd spent much of his adult life mired in. Even if it was at his expense it was almost refreshing.
"Oh, I don't think I have any ghosts floating around here." Drew issued a bit of a chuckle, the smirk on his face never wavering as he watched Erika. Indeed he held his time at Bellefonte in high, if not somewhat boring regards. He never felt like he was constructed to attend high school. To him it had been a necessary evil. Just another stepping stone underfoot as he passed by. He hadn't left much within the halls of Bellefonte which was largely why it felt so strange to be back in such a capacity. "If I did I'd imagine they'd be long gone by now."
Post by Erika Bellefonte on Jan 10, 2017 4:01:44 GMT
A slight shrug and Erika pursed her lips. "You might be someone's ghost and here you are," she pointed out simply. There was, after all, a reason past memories were called the ghosts of the past. Erika didn't think they ever really disappeared.
Returning to the table, she pulled out a chair and sat down, feet curling around its legs. She closed the black folder for her portofolio and lifted her gaze to meet the older man's. She didn't speak. She simply watched him. Studied him.
Erika's response brought out a little chuckle. Much like any of his own ghosts he didn't assume anyone who might consider him as such to be drifting around here either. He'd been somewhat known through his tenure in high school but he was hardly the type to have haunted anyone during or after. In all honestly he considered himself to have been somewhat inconsequential in the grand scheme of things. "I doubt I'm important enough to be anyone's ghost." He countered.
There was a short pause as Drew received the silent, studious treatment. The girl seemed to be much more astute than he remembered kids to be. "You seem awfully concerned about ghosts." He commented idly, slowly moving further into the room. He couldn't help but be curious about the young woman. "You have a few of your own haunting the halls of Bellefonte?"
Post by Erika Bellefonte on Jan 10, 2017 9:46:41 GMT
"You'd be surprised," she said with a shrug. She wasn't about to argue the importance of other people's existence. She didn't know him. Maybe he'd been a total and absolute nobody during high school. Then again, someone with this amount of charisma didn't exactly strike her as someone who passed through life without anyone knowing his name. And he didn't exactly strike her as shy either.
Snorting, it was obvious the guy didn't realize the irony of his question. "I was under the impression anyone who's ever attended a high school did," she replied instead. Safe territory. She wasn't about to tell her life story to some stranger creeping the halls.
"Probably not." Drew muttered in response. Erika wasn't wrong, per se. He knew there were people out there who remembered him, occasionally for less than encouraging reasons. Where she seemed to be off was the nature and location of these individuals. He may have onlyb been 27 years old but he'd managed to climb the corporate ladder rather quickly through his hard work, innate business acumen and possibly more than a bit of nepotism. This left a number of people in his wake who didn't have the best opinion of him.
Nonetheless, the thoughts that continued to linger in Drew's mind had no place here. He turned his attention to the brunette and her evasive, almost cryptic replies. There was either far more at play here than he had first anticipated or far less. At the moment he couldn't quite tell. "I don't know if I'd go that far." He said contemplatively. "That's a bit of a broad, general statement don't you think?" He issued a faint chuckle. "After all, it's only high school. Hardly the defining point in life."
Post by Erika Bellefonte on Jan 10, 2017 9:59:11 GMT
Tilting her head, the young telekinetic shrugged. "Try telling that to a teenager just starting out." Although high school hadn't been bad for her, it didn't mean it was something she wished to go through again. Life in general, had come very easy to her for obvious reason, but she too, wasn't perfect. Nor was the people she often surrounded herself with. Perhaps it was her own fault then, for thinking that high school was one of those ghost she didn't wish to ever revisit.
Though, she honestly doubted she was the only one with such a cryptic view on high school. However, that was hardly the conversation she wanted to have with a complete stranger. "So," she continued. "You're new?" she asked.
Drew nodded faintly. Once again he couldn't argue with Erika's assertion. Time had a way of distorting memories and he probably wasn't the best candidate for a study on the mental state of high school students. His atypical upbringing hadn't stopped when he'd made the trip to the Academy. If anything the distance between himself and his parents had only made it worse. Of course, all things considered, Drew didn't consider himself to be a very good example of nearly any demographic.
"Yeah., you could say that." Drew would allow the conversation of ghosts and haunting memories lay to rest. It didn't take a genius to see how such a topic between two people just meeting for the first time could grow awkward and weird and had no intentions on furthering it himself. "I was brought in to take a look at the corporate accounts system and... lend my expertise." He quickly waved off the topic though. He couldn't imagine anyone expressing an interest in something that dull. "It's all bland and tedious." He admitted. "So I won't bore you by talking about it."
Drew took the opportunity to shift the focus of conversation onto the young brunette herself. "I'm guessing you're not new." He said, knowingly stating the obvious. His brow furrowed a bit in thought as he studied the girl. "Art major?"
Post by Erika Bellefonte on Jan 10, 2017 10:22:25 GMT
"Guess that's something we can both agree on." No, finance wasn't exactly the thing Erika would claim to be her favorite subject. She wasn't overly good with numbers and nor had she ever really had any interest in it. Perhaps it was because her mind had mostly been taken over by creative aspects, rather than logical and mathematics.
Gesturing towards the closed portofolio lying on the table in front of her, Erika shrugged. "Fashion," she explained. As much as she loved drawing and painting, there was really no future in becoming one of those kinds of artists. The business was rough and few ever really made it very far. Unless they were lucky.
Drew nodded slowly. He hadn't been too far off in his guess as the worlds of fashion and art tended to blur on many levels, which remained his only real, working knowledge of the industry. He'd usually had assistance in selecting and tailoring his own attire even if he'd rarely left his house in anything less than a suit. Even as it stood now he felt strange not wearing a tie. "I was close." He said, though given he happened upon her in an art studio working on something by herself that wasn't much of an achievement in deduction.
"Do you usually go for a more practical approach to your designs, or do you think you're the type that'll end up having models walk down the catwalk dressed like hood ornaments and Christmas trees?"
Post by Erika Bellefonte on Jan 10, 2017 10:34:42 GMT
"Well, fashion is a form of art," she agreed. Then again, she supposed that could be said about a lot. Anything could be art as long as one perceived it as such. And when you had a knack for something as well as enjoying doing it, one might as well go down the path and make money off of it. Of course, she was still a way behind actually making money off of what she did, but she wasn't complaining.
Snorting at his question, Erika shook her head. "Christmas trees does have a certain charm to them, don't you think?" But no, that wasn't her plan. In fact, it was a part of the fashion industry she didn't quite understand. If one wanted to shock, one could do it elsewhere. "Practical use," she explained then, in case her sarcastic joke had been lost on the guy. "I don't really see the point in making something no one would ever wear."