Erika appreciated mister Crowmarty for the same reason she disliked him, the 'Teacher' in mechanics was a shark. Opened a business in bicycle and motorcycle repair and moved the operation in Open Roads to help the poor kids acquire manual experience, it was genius really, his labor cost him nothing and his profits were deductible as partly charity, plus some generous government grants and voila! Most 'students' went on working on ordinary bicycles and this is what Erika did, at first. She however quickly found herself an ability in engineering and remembering the parts and what made an engine tick. She wasn't a manual character however and even if she did understand, she was slow to actually put any of her skills in practice but no matter how slow she was, she was still one of the rare person competent enough to do Crowmarty's hardest, and most paying, jobs. Her education in fact was little more now than her working for him for, mostly, nothing and while she had a question she went and asked him in his office. It was however getting rarer and rarer as she had quite the memory.
She couldn't clean her hands enough after this and looking at her hands now always created a frown in her face. She was delicate, the kind to type at the keys of a computer or a piano, manual labor was another thing which was as painful as she had imagined.
"We only live to discover beauty. All else is a form of waiting."
--Kahlil GibranAnyone who did such a job for his entire life was a sucker and she was convinced of it. Manual labor only serves to achieve the goals of those with the ideas. Still, it was over and it was lunch time. She craved for canard confit with potatoes and a side of haricot with a sauce only the Luxor restaurant in her New England home town had the secret, but what passes as food in Open Roads would do.
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In school, Erika had always been discrete, almost invisible in her demeanor, and surprisingly silent with her loafers. Today was no exception and as she walked to a table with her meal and went pass a girl with short hair who paid no attention to her, her quick wits couldn't help but notice a little something.
"Oh boy, and you're on your what, first week here? Haven't you heard? Winners don't use drugs." So she said, looking down on Callie's phone from behind her, with her pretentious quasi british accent.
On any other day before, Erika would have dropped a comment and then walked away to her own table, but not today. The reason? She was bored. The lunch time was 1 hour, more than she ever needed by half an hour and so, she needed a distraction. Something like a verbal joust. And so Erika sat right in front of Evans with a corner smile, again, oozing with arrogance and her eyes fixed on Callie's.
*Now, distract me, pleb.*